About the Malaria Database

Boy under bed net

For decades, SBC has been used in malaria programs to positively influence behaviors around case management, malaria in pregnancy, insecticide-treated nets and indoor residual spraying. However, the evidence base for the impact of SBC on malaria-related behavioral outcomes is still growing, especially as malaria interventions and commodities scale-up.

The SBC for Malaria Evidence Database documents the evidence to date. The initial set of articles included were selected as a result of a critical review of the literature using a multiphase search and review process, involving abstract and full-article reviews of approximately 3,600 peer-reviewed articles and 1,700 grey literature documents. Each article was then scored on two indicators: the strength of the evidence presented in the article and the extent to which the SBC activity used best practices during the design and implementation of the program. A report summarizing the findings of the literature review is available in both English and French. Since then, the evidence database is updated annually with a search for new literature that meet the search criteria and inclusion of those articles that show evidence of impact on malaria attitudes and behaviors.

The database presents a collection of over 100 articles describing interventions or studies that address malaria challenges through SBC approaches. Some studies address the same intervention across multiple articles, while other studies evaluate multiple interventions in the same article. Initially based on evidence on the influence of social and behavior change communication (SBCC) on malaria-related behaviors, the database has expanded to include broader SBC approaches.

Articles can be filtered by checking boxes in the following categories: Country, Malaria Technical Area, Type of Communication Intervention, Study Design and/or Audience Segmented. Unchecking the boxes or clicking the “clear filters” button will return the database to its original state. The database can also be filtered by searching keywords in the “search” box above the database. Database results can be printed, copied or converted into Excel/CSV files by clicking the appropriate buttons below.

In addition to the full report, key findings from compiling the database have been highlighted in a series of infographics and factsheets.

FEATURED ARTICLES

Additional Resources

This website is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Breakthrough ACTION is supported by USAID’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Bureau for Global Health, under Cooperative Agreement: #AID-OAA-A-17-00017. Breakthrough ACTION is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs. The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of Breakthrough ACTION. 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 Johns Hopkins University.

United States Agency for International Development