SBCC sessions deepen — from awareness to behaviour

Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) is often misunderstood as health education with better posters. EpiC treats SBCC as a structured behavioural intervention with a defined curriculum, a trained facilitator, a measurable outcome, and a feedback loop.

In Q2 of 2021 the team delivered sixty-four group sessions across the six EpiC councils, reaching 1,920 KVPs with the standardised five-module curriculum: risk perception, partner negotiation, biomedical prevention options, gender norms, and service navigation.

Of the 1,920 participants, 729 (38 percent) accepted an HIV test for the first time in the past twelve months. This first-time-tester rate is the single most useful proxy we have for whether SBCC is reaching the people who actually need it.

Ninety-two percent of participants completing the full five-module arc reported a specific behaviour change intent — most commonly consistent condom use with non-regular partners, PrEP initiation, or disclosure to a primary partner. Three-month follow-up confirmed behaviour adoption in 61 percent of those intentions.

The next iteration will shorten module length, increase between-session peer contact, and add a structured booster session at week eight. The hypothesis is that adoption rates rise when the behavioural commitment is reinforced once outside the group setting before it is allowed to fade.