ArticleReproductive health2021
Transforming social norms to improve girl-child health and well-being: a realist evaluation of the Girls' Holistic Development program in rural Senegal.
Article in Reproductive health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Exploring adolescent girls' involvement in decision-making processes regarding child marriage: A systematic review.Narra J · 2025Pooled it
- Measuring social norms related to child marriage among married women and men in Niger.PloS one · 2024Article
- Grandmother-inclusive intergenerational approaches: the missing piece of the puzzle for ending FGM/C by 2030?Frontiers in sociology · 2023Article
- Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Coupling and Coordination of Cultural Tourism and Objective Well-Being in Western China.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- A community edutainment intervention for gender-based violence, sexual and reproductive health, and maternal and child health in rural Senegal: a process evaluation.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Mechanisms for the prevention of adolescent intimate partner violence: A realist review of interventions in low- and middle-income countries.PLOS global public health · 2022Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
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Abstract
backgroundEarly adolescence is a critical period where social norms, attitudes, and behaviors around gender equality form. Social norms influence adolescent choices and behaviors and are reinforced by caregivers and community members, affecting girls' reproductive health and educational opportunities. Understanding how to shift these often-interconnected norms to delay child marriage, pregnancy and keep girls in school requires understanding of the structure and dynamics of family and community systems. The Senegalese and American non-governmental organization, the Grandmothers Project-Change through Culture, seeks to address these intertwined factors through innovative community change strategies that build on the specific structure and values of West African collectivist cultures.
methodsThe Girls' Holistic Development approach in rural Vélingara, Senegal posits that by increasing recognition, knowledge and empowerment of elder community women and reinforcing intergenerational communication and decision-making, community members including girls will support and advocate on behalf of girls' interests and desires. We assessed the Girls Holistic Development approach using Realist Evaluation with a mixed-method, quasi-experimental design with a comparison population. We examined differences in intergenerational communication, decision-making and descriptive and injunctive norms related to early marriage, pregnancy and schooling.
resultsAfter 18 months, intergenerational communication was more likely, grandmothers felt more valued in their communities, adolescent girls felt more supported with improved agency, and norms were shifting to support delayed marriage and pregnancy and keeping girls in school. Grandmothers in intervention villages were statistically significantly more likely to be perceived as influential decision-makers by both VYA girls and caregivers for marriage and schooling decisions compared to girls and caregivers in comparison villages.
conclusionsThis realist evaluation demonstrated shift in social norms, particularly for VYA girls, in intervention villages favoring delaying girls' marriage, preventing early pregnancy and keeping girls in school along with increased support for and action by grandmothers to support girls and their well-being related to these same outcomes. These shifts represent greater community social cohesion on girl-child issues. This research helps explain the linkage between social norms and girls' reproductive health and education outcomes and demonstrates that normative shifts can lead to behavior change via collective community action mechanisms.
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