BBC Media Action's Work on Health

This video describes BBC Media Action’s work with media and communication to "provide health information and explore social and cultural norms that affect good health" in economically poor areas and developing countries. These programmes "aim to build people's confidence to take action in the interests of their own health and the health of their families" through opportunities for discussion that "build social support for change, particularly amongst family and community members, and groups who have control over allocation of resources." The programmes also use "media to provide a space to hold to account those providing health services and developing health policies."

Examples in the video include [see related summaries below]: Its project on tuberculosis (TB) prevention and treatment in India uses radio, television, street theatre. A radio crew goes out to rural villages in Ethiopia and includes training of other radio professionals in their methodology using humour, emotion, and debate to reach audiences. The video features television soap operas (entertainment education) such as Wetin Dey, a programme broadcast in Nigeria for HIV prevention, among other issues, and animation, such as public service announcement (PSA) shorts on malaria, focused on bringing information on behaviour change to migrant workers (for whom a need for malaria protection might be new). It interviews a community health worker who uses a mobile phone and illustrated information cards in her visits with villagers in Bihar, India. Another project in India to promote condom use and normalise conversation around condoms used PSAs and a condom ringtone for mobiles.