Training of Roma Health Mediators in Reproductive Health

• Enabling factors: factors which facilitate/make easier, or inhibit/make more difficult, certain
behavior changes (for example the time, money and skills necessary to practice certain
reproductive health behaviors; the accessibility and quality of health services, etc)
Distribute the participant document The Influence of Personal Beliefs on Behavior. Ask volunteers
to read and comment on the application of the various influences on the reproductive health
behavior of women.
IV. PROCESS OF BEHAVIOR CHANGE (20 minutes)
Introduce the concept of behavior change by asking participants:
‣ Based on our discussion of factors that influence women’s reproductive health behavior,
should your approach to discussing reproductive health be the same with all women? If not,
why not?
No. The situation, needs and concerns of each woman determines what issues need to be
addressed and how they need to be addressed.
Explain that there are a variety of theories about how people change their behavior, and that you are
going to present one of these theories that is relevant to the way in which people often change their
reproductive health behavior. Post the flip chart Behavior Change Continuum and distribute the
participant document Behavior Change Continuum. Using family planning as an example, lead a
discussion of a woman’s behavior at each level, including an appropriate approach to
communicating with the woman at each stage of the behavior change process in order to facilitate
the woman’s decision-making. Ask volunteers to read and comment the text of their participant
documents. Clarify any points that are unclear.
V. DECISION-MAKING PROCESS (30 minutes)
Refer to:
• The previous discussion on the purpose of communication for behavior change: to assist
women to make decisions based on an awareness of their situations and relevant
information; and to act on these decisions.
• The discussion on behavior change and the fact that individual women may be at different
stages in terms of deciding to change certain reproductive health behaviors.
Explain that in the process of changing our behavior, we all go through a series of steps in making
decisions to change.
Ask the following questions concerning participants’ attendance at the workshop, in order to
introduce the process of decision-making:
‣ How did you receive the information about this workshop?
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RFHI/JSI Romania Training of RHMs in Reproductive Health Session 13: BCC