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  • Accelerator Behaviors for Ending Preventable Maternal and Child Deaths

Accelerator Behaviors for Ending Preventable Maternal and Child Deaths

[UPDATED JULY 2016]  Tremendous strides have been made in the past several decades in saving the lives of mothers and children.  The numbers of those dying has decreased dramatically, thanks to the tireless efforts of governments, international organizations, communities, and individual households. Yet, with all of this progress, the numbers are still unacceptably high.

In 2015:
• 5.9 million children under age five died - 16,000 every day
• 303,000 women died during and following pregnancy and childbirth - 830 every day*

Thus efforts continue unabated. In 2012 there was a worldwide meeting, the Child Survival Call to Action, which set a goal date of 2035 for reaching fewer than 20 deaths per thousand live births in all countries.

In 2014, at the second anniversary of the 2012 meeting, USAID identified ten key "accelerator behaviors" which if taken could substantially contribute to ending preventable deaths.  Each of these behaviors  impact a major cause of child and/or maternal mortality across the continuum of care/lifecycle yet currently have low uptake in many countries.  Accelerator behaviors are thus priority behaviors for programming as they have the highest potential to hasten the decline of child and maternal death worldwide.**

In 2016 USAID published its Acceleerator Behavior website (Beta version), listing the ten behaviors and offering program guidance:

The Ten Accelerator Behaviors are:  

  1. MALARIA: Caregivers recognize symptoms of malaria and seek prompt diagnosis and appropriate care
  2. DIARRHEA: Caregivers provide appropriate treatment for children at onset of symptoms
  3. PNEUMONIA: Caregivers seek prompt and appropriate care for signs and symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI)
  4. IMMUNIZATIONS: caregivers seek full course of timely vaccinations for infants
  5. WATER SANITATION AND HYGIENE (WASH): Handwashing with soap at critical times (after defecation, after changing diapers and before food preparation and eating
  6. HEALTHY TIMING AND SPACING OF PREGNANCIES (HTSP): After a live birth, women use a modern contraceptive method to avoid pregnancy for at least 24 months (resulting in approximately three years between births)
  7. NUTRITION: Early initiation (within one hour) and exclusive breastfeeding for six months after delivery
  8. MATERNAL: Pregnant women attend antenatal care and attend facilities for delivery to reduce preventable maternal deaths
  9. NEWBORN: Seek prompt and appropriate care for signs and symptoms of newborn illness to reduce preventable newborn deaths
  10. PREVENTION OF MOTHER TO CHILD TRANSMISSION (PMTCT): Active demand at household level for identification and treatment of all HIV-infected pregnant women

In addition to these ten behaviors, USAID identified behaviors related to each which contribute to improving the enabling environment to effectively carry out the accelerator behavior and may be bundled with other accelerator behaviors. The full list of accelerator and related behaviors can be accessed here.

This Trending Topic provides several resources and project examples for addressing each of the 10 behaviors. However, there are many more materials in the Health COMpass and you should conduct a search on the particular behavior or behaviors that your project is focusing on.


  • *Source:  World Health Organization website
  • **Source: Acting on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths. Retrieved 2/22/16

Banner photo: A mother and her infant in Somaliland, Somalia.© 2014 What Took You So Long for Medical Aid Films, Courtesy of Photosharei, Courtesy of Photoshare

 

Resources

  • Tools
  • Examples

Accelerator Behaviors

This is USAID's website about the topic of Accelerator Behaviors. These 10 Accelerator Behaviors are identified in the USAID Behavior Change Framework as priority behaviors because they currently have low global uptake and they have the potential

View Resource

The Behavior Change Framework

The Behavior Change Framework is designed to help mainstream behavior change activities in the global health agenda for Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Death (EPCMD) by identifying the behavior changes that can have the highest impact on mortality reduction.

View Resource

Acting on the Call: Ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths

This document outlines the next steps in the efforts to lower the number of maternal and child deaths.

This includes the following five strategic shifts:

View Resource

SBCC Online Courses

This page offers online courses in the basics of SBCC as well as on more specific topics such as SBCC for malaria, various topics in research, and social media.  Some of the online courses offer certificates upon completion.

View Resource

Global Handwashing Day 2015 Social Media Toolkit

This toolkit includes messages for spreading the word about Global Handwashing Day (October 15) on Twitter, Facebook, and blogs. The 2015 theme for Global Handwashing Day is “Raise a Hand for Hygiene”.

The toolkit offers samples for tweets, Facebook posts, and links to blogs and websites. 

View Resource

Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Improvement Training Package for the Prevention of Diarrheal Disease

The Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Improvement Training Package is intended to support the training of local outreach workers and their subsequent work in communities to promote improved water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) practices to reduce diarrhea.

The Training Package consists of three separate parts:

Download

Family Planning Counseling [Online course]

This 1.5 hour course explains the importance of counseling in family planning service settings and introduces key family planning counseling skills.

By the end of this course the student should be able to:

 

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Immunization and Child Health Materials Development Guide

This is a reference and educational tool for people who create communication materials. If you’re new to materials development, we recommend that you read through the guide before actually starting to develop materials, then carefully follow the eight steps described below and covered in detail in the guide.

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Chlorhexidine for Umbilical Cord Care

Sub-Saharan Africa

This is a film for health workers and communities providing safe newborn care. The film demonstrates how to effectively use chlorhexidine to provide safe umbilical cord care after birth.

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7.1% Chlorhexidine Digluconate w/v Training Manual [Nepal]

Nepal

This is a training curriculum for service providers in Nepal, as they learn about the use of chlorhexidine to reduce neonatal mortality.

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Chlorhexidine Instruction Poster [Bangladesh]

Bangladesh

This poster illusrates and describes the proper procedure for application of Chlorhexidrine to the baby's umbilical cord immediately after birth so as to prevent infection.

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Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy Counseling Pathways: A Counseling Tool for Healthcare Providers

The Healthy Timing and Spacing of Pregnancy (HTSP) Counseling Pathways: A Counseling Tool for Health Care Providers can be used to identify a woman who may be at risk of a closely spaced pregnancy or pregnancy at too early an age.

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Give Your Children the Best Treatment for Diarrhea

Uganda

The purpose of this poster is to promote the use of oral rehydration salts (ORS) with zinc tablets to treat and prevent childhood diarrhea. 

Download

Familia Sana Sin Diarreas, Con Agua Clorada, Latrinas y Manos Limpias (Diarrhea Prevention Reminder Card)

Nicaragua
Peru

This card is part of a set produced by projects in Peru and Nicaragua aimed at reducing diarrheal disease incidence, even in communities with adequate latrines and piped water. It illustrates the various ways a family uses and stores water so as to minimize the possibility of diarrhea.

Download

Four Rules of Treating Diarrhea at Home

This poster illustrates the four rules for treating diarrhoeal disease at home:

  1. Give the child more fluids
  2. Give zinc tablets every day for 10 days
  3. Continue feeding the child as usual
  4. Take the child to a health center of the condition doesn't improve
Download

Como Trataremos el Agua Para Beber (Water Treatment Reminder Card)

Nicaragua
Peru

This card is part of a set produced by projects in Peru and Nicaragua aimed at reducing diarrheal disease incidence, even in communities with adequate latrines and piped water.

Download

Drinking Water Advisory Communications Toolbox

United States

Drinking water advisories are issued in response to a specific event or situation. Communication materials can be prepared in advance to prepare for these kinds of events.  This toolbox outlines the questions and information that a drinking water advisory must address.

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Suaahara Nutrition Program Videos

Nepal

The Suaahara ("good nutrition")program works with the Government of Nepal’s existing systems and supports the Government in addressing undernutrition and related health issues of women and children under-two years of age.

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Complementary Feeding Booklet

Viet Nam
This booklet for mothers and caregivers of children under 2  focuses on the importance of the first 1,000 days of a child’s life as the best investment for child growth and development.
View Resource

Complementary Feeding Wheel

Nepal

The complementary feeding wheel is an interpersonal communication tool designed for low literate community mobilizers to talk to family members about how to feed their child.  

Download

How to Use a Complementary Feeding Wheel during Counseling

Nepal

The USAID-funded Suaahara ‘Good Nutrition’ Project’s Bhanchhin Aama (“Mother says”) campaign comprehensively integrates nutrition, sanitation, agriculture and health services promotion to improve health outcomes. The program focuses on families within the 1000 days from pregnancy till the child is two years old.

View Resource

Alive & Thrive Infant and Young Child Feeding Community-based Support Group Model in Viet Nam

Viet Nam

Alive & Thrive is an initiative in Vietnam aimed at improving infant and young child feeding by increasing rates of exclusive breastfeeding and improving complementary feeding practices. This document describes the IYCF support group model, how it is established, and the tools used in its implementation.

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National Communication Framework and Plan for Infant and Young Child Feeding in Bangladesh

Bangladesh
The Communication Framework and Plan is a component of the National Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF) Strategy and its goal is to contribute to the reduction of undernutrition and death caused by sub-optimal infant and young child feeding practices.
 
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Power of Nutrition

Viet Nam

Alive & Thrive is an initiative in Vietnam aimed at improving infant and young child feeding by increasing rates of exclusive breastfeeding and improving complementary feeding practices.

View Resource

Health, Population, and Nutrition eToolkit for Health Workers

Bangladesh

This is a series of pamphlets for health workers in Bangladesh to use when visiting homes and clinics and teaching about reproductive health and child health. The kit includes materials on the following topics: maternal and newborn child health, family planning, nutrition, antenatal care, adolescent health, and safe water and hygiene.

View Resource

HIV and Infant Feeding Counseling Tools

These tools were created to help health workers before, during and after a counseling session so that they can better support HIV-positive mothers.

The tools consist of the following parts:

View Resource

Wazazi Nipendeni - Prevention of Malaria in Pregnancy Poster

Tanzania

This poster is part of the multi-channel Wazazi Nipendeni (Love me, Parents) campaign which aims to integrate all safe motherhood health areas under one platform, including early and complete ANC attendance, malaria prevention, the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), individual birth planning and safe delivery.  The poster

Download

Wazazi Nipendeni - Prevention of Malaria in Pregnancy TV Spot

Tanzania

This 1-minute TV spot is part of the multi-channel Wazazi Nipendeni (Love me, Parents) campaign which aims to integrate all safe motherhood health areas under one platform, including early and complete ANC attendance, malaria prevention, the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV (PMTCT), individual birth planning and safe delivery.

View Resource

Couple HIV/AIDS Counseling and Testing (CHCT) Posters

Uganda

The Uganda Go Together, Know Together campaigned was a national couples HIV counseling and testing campaign.

View Resource

COMBI SBCC Communication Strategy for Integrated Community Level Malaria, TB, and HIV Prevention [Namibia]

Namibia

Developed in 2011, this is an SBCC strategy for community-level programs in behavior change related to TB, malaria and HIV prevention.

Download

Counseling for Effective Use of Family Planning [Curriculum]

This counseling curriculum was developed to help recognize counseling as a skill and allocate sufficient classroom time for practicing skills and receiving feedback by addressing the needs of return clients in addition to new clients 
Download

A Carefully Handled Mosquito Net is the Shield That Protects You from Malaria

Nigeria

One of a set of posters from the NetCare project in Nigeria promoting behaviors to increase the lifespan of malaria nets through careful handling and repair. This poster shows how to roll up or tie up a net when it is not in use, to keep it away from children and thus prevent it from tearing or from other damage.

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Communication for Malaria: Diagnostic Testing Toolkit

This toolkit is a resource for communication materials designed to promote testing for malaria and adherence to test results. This site includes radio and print materials aimed at parents and the general public.

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How To Care For and Repair Your Nets (LLIN): Frequently Asked Questions

Nigeria

This pamphlet lists frequently asked questions and answers about LLINs such as how to care for tears in the nets, who should take care of nets in the household, and how to wash the net.

Download

I Am a Responsible Man. I Repair My Torn Mosquito Nets to Make Them Last and Protect my Family from Malaria

Nigeria

This is one of a set of posters from the NetCare project in Nigeria promoting behaviors to increase the lifespan of malaria nets through careful handling and repair. The poster shows a father identifying and fixing a hole in a mosquito net.

Download

A Mother Will Trust You If You Save Her Child's Life

Cambodia

This is a flipchart from Cambodia to be used by service providers to guide them in how to treat children with pneumonia.  Emphasis is placed on motivating mothers to save their child's life by using the medication correctly, according to the updated national guidelines.

View Resource
Stephanie Weber

This website is made possible by the support of the American People through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under the Breakthrough-ACTION Project, supported by USAID’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Bureau for Global Health, under Cooperative Agreement #AID-OAA-A-17-00017 with the Johns Hopkins University.

Breakthrough-ACTION is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs (JHU∙CCP). The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of JHU∙CCP. The information provided on this website is not official U.S. Government information and does not necessarily represent the views or positions of USAID, the United States Government, or The Johns Hopkins University.

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