Emergency Risk Communication: Lessons Learned from a Rapid Review of Recent Gray Literature on Ebola, Zika, and Yellow Fever

This resource is a rapid review of gray literature from 2015 to 2016 conducted to identify the lessons learned for emergency risk communication from recent outbreaks of Ebola, Zika, and yellow fever. Gray literature databases and key websites were searched and requests for documents were posted to expert networks. A total of 83 documents met the inclusion criteria, 68 of which are cited in this report. This article focuses on the 3 questions, out of 12 posed by the World Health Organization as part of a Guideline development process, dealing most directly with communicating risk during health emergencies: community engagement, trust building, and social media.

Last modified: August 12, 2024

Language: English

Source: Health Communication Journal

Year of Publication: 2018

Fièvre Lassa : Le contexte Guinéen et les déterminants sociaux et culturels

Ce document est un dans une série des courts documents sur les zoonoses prioritaires dans le contexte Guinéen, et a pour but fournir les informations sur la connaissance et les comportements de risque et prévention autour des zoonoses prioritaires. Il document était rédigé par l’équipe de Breakthrough ACTION Guinée pour passer en revue la littérature sur la fièvre Lassa en Guinée, et d’intégrer dans la littérature existante les résultats d’une étude qualitative sur les maladies zoonotiques réalisée par Breakthrough ACTION. Il a pour but d’aider les responsables de la mise en œuvre des programmes à mieux comprendre le contexte social et culturel de cette zoonose, et il fournit les recommendations pour aider les activités de prevention de la fièvre Lassa.


Lassa fever: the Guinean context and social and cultural determinants

This document is one in a series of short papers on priority zoonoses in the Guinean context and aims to provide information on knowledge and risk behaviors and prevention around priority zoonoses. It was put together by the Breakthrough ACTION Guinea team to review the literature on Lassa Fever in Guinea, as well as to incorporate into the existing literature findings from a qualitative study on zoonotic diseases undertaken by Breakthrough ACTION. This brief is intended to help program implementers better understand the social and cultural context around this zoonotic disease and offers recommendations for Lassa Fever disease prevention efforts.

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: June 21, 2024

Anthrax ou la maladie du charbon : Le contexte Guinéen et les déterminants sociaux et culturels (2020)

Ce document est un dans une série des courts documents sur les zoonoses prioritaires dans le contexte Guinéen, et a pour but fournir les informations sur la connaissance et les comportements de risque et prévention autour des zoonoses prioritaires. Il document était rédigé par l’équipe de Breakthrough ACTION Guinée pour passer en revue la littérature sur l’anthrax, ou la maladie du charbon, en Guinée, et d’intégrer dans la littérature existante les résultats d’une étude qualitative sur les maladies zoonotiques réalisée par Breakthrough ACTION. Il a pour but d’aider les responsables de la mise en œuvre des programmes à mieux comprendre le contexte social et culturel de cette zoonose, et il fournit les recommendations pour aider les activités de prevention de la maladie du charbon.


Anthrax or Anthrax Disease: The Guinean Context and Social and Cultural Determinants (2020)

This document is one in a series of short papers on priority zoonoses in the Guinean context and aims to provide information on knowledge and risk behaviors and prevention around priority zoonoses. It was put together by the Breakthrough ACTION Guinea team to review the literature on Anthrax in Guinea, as well as to incorporate into the existing literature findings from a qualitative study on zoonotic diseases undertaken by Breakthrough ACTION. This brief is intended to help program implementers better understand the social and cultural context around this zoonotic disease and offers recommendations for Anthrax disease prevention efforts.

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: June 21, 2024

Understanding Individual and Social Risk Factors Related to Priority Zoonotic Diseases in West Africa: A Review of the Literature

This literature review summarizes the available published literature on behavioral determinants and sociocultural systems and norms that influence specific priority zoonotic diseases in West Africa.

It provides a starting point for further qualitative and quantitative investigation to inform the development of social and behavior change resources and tools that may contribute to the development and maintenance of effective risk communication systems.

View the resource in English and French.

Source: Breakthrough ACTION/Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: September 22, 2021

Understanding Individual and Social Risk Factors Related to Priority Zoonotic Diseases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: A Review of the Literature

This literature review summarizes the available published literature on behavioral determinants and sociocultural systems and norms that influence specific priority zoonotic diseases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

It provides a starting point for further qualitative and quantitative investigation to inform the development of social and behavior change (SBC) resources and tools that may contribute to the development and maintenance of effective risk communication systems.

Source: Breakthrough ACTION/Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: September 22, 2021

Improving Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health in Senegal

Together, IntraHealth International and the Ministry of Health and Social Action in Senegal, as part of the Neema project which aims to improve health for women and children in Senegal by strengthening health services and making them accessible to more people, we identified behavioral barriers to using contraception and designed solutions to help young people make active decisions about their sexual health.

They conducted a literature review, observed nine health facilities, conducted 80 individual interviews with youth, their parents, and health workers, and conducted 11 focus groups with youth in order to identify behavioral barriers to the use of modern contraception among youth (ages 15-24).

The researchers found that young people do not form an intention to use modern methods of contraception because they:

• Believe they are protected by traditional methods

• Are overconfident in their ability to abstain

• View contraceptive users in a negative light

• Overestimate the social and health costs while underestimating the benefits of contraception

• Have a limited choice set We also found that even youth who intend to use modern methods confront barriers to follow-through, including the social risks of access (stigma) and the challenge of planning ahead for every sexual encounter.

Drawing from these insights, the team designed the Wellness Checkup, a free, private conversation with a nurse or midwife at a local health facility.

Source: Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs, Ideas42

Date of Publication: June 23, 2020

Evidence to Inform an Integrated Social and Behavior Change Strategy in the Sahel

This review of the literature on SBC programming summarizes the evidence, and lack thereof, in the Sahel, to establish a rationale for the planned Breakthrough RESEARCH RISE II SBC evaluation.

An overview of the health and development challenges in the region, along with priority health behaviors and their determinants, is followed by a description of SBC programmatic approaches that have addressed behavioral determinants and health outcomes in the region.

For more information, contact Leanne Dougherty at ldougherty@popcouncil.org

Source: Breakthrough RESEARCH/Population Council

Date of Publication: April 26, 2020

Data Scoping Evidence for Contraceptive Use, ANC, Institutional Delivery, SBA, in Nepal

Breakthrough ACTION Nepal led a desk review in Summer and Fall 2018 to gather existing peer-reviewed literature and grey literature on contraceptive use, ANC, institutional delivery, SBA, in Nepal. Three databases were searched: Pubmed, Scopus, and Web of Science.

In addition, publicly available documents from 25 government bodies and organizations actively working in contraceptive use in Nepal were also reviewed. Documents were eligible for inclusion if they had been published within the last five years and were relevant to contraceptive use behaviors.

Source: Breakthrough ACTION/Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs

Date of Publication: April 13, 2020

Review of Literature across Six Health Areas in Ethiopia

This literature review contains a comprehensive analysis on determinants of health behaviors across six health areas, which led to the identification of crosscutting behavioral determinants and priority audiences for the Communication for Health Project, 2015-2020.

To inform the design of this integrated platform, Communication for Health conducted a review of 160 peer reviewed and non-peer reviewed literature to better understand the nature of these six health issues, and to identify priority audiences, their current practices, barriers to adoption of recommended practices, and opportunities for influencing change. This document is a synthesis of findings from the review, including recommendations concerning prioritization of health practices, priority audiences, and crosscutting behavioral determinants. The full literature review is available under separate cover. This synthesis begins with a discussion of recommended practices and their behavioral determinants for each key of the six health areas. This is followed by a discussion of crosscutting behavioral determinants, recommended audiences, communication channels and overall recommendations for the Communication for Health integrated campaign platform.

Source: Communication for Health Ethiopia

Date of Publication: February 6, 2020