Evidence - SBC Impact
Compelling, credible, recent, direct impact data
Evidence - SBC Impact
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The effectiveness of targeted social marketing to promote adolescent reproductive health: The case of Soweto, South Africa

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Meekers, D. (2000). "The effectiveness of targeted social marketing to promote adolescent reproductive health: The case of Soweto, South Africa." Journal of HIV/AIDS Prevention and Education for Adolescents and Children 3(4): 73-92.

OBJECTIVE: Adolescents and young adults in South Africa increasingly face reproductive health problems, including unplanned pregnancy and exposure to infection with HIV and STDs. Hence, there is much interest in the effectiveness of policies and interventions that specifically address adolescent reproductive health. This study uses a quasi-experimental control group design to assess the effect of a targeted social marketing program on reproductive health beliefs and behavior among young women in Soweto.

METHODS AND FINDINGS: In response to adolescents' concerns, the intervention was developed with a focus on pregnancy prevention. The findings indicate that the intervention increased young women's awareness of the risk of pregnancy, awareness that condoms are effective for pregnancy and HIV/AIDS prevention, awareness that other contraceptives are effective for pregnancy prevention, discussions about contraception, and increased the percentage of women who have used condoms. These results suggest that the intervention was more effective in changing beliefs related to pregnancy prevention than those related to STD/HIV prevention, consistent with the program design.

Why the focus on direct impact data?

A common challenge from policy makers, funders, community members, people directly experiencing development issues, and governments is: Demonstrate your Impact. Prove that what you are doing works. The high quality, highly credible data presented on the cards below is designed to help you answer that question for your social change, behaviour change, community engagement, communication and media for development, strategy formulation, policy engagement and funding initiatives. At this link filter the research data to your specific interests and priorities

Why a playing cards design?

There is a physical pack of cards with this data (to get a copy please request through the comment form for any card). The card approach allows for easy identification and selection of relevant direct impact data in any context. For example if talking with a donor and you need to identify proof of impact say "take a look at the 7 of Hearts". Quick access can be provided to high-quality data for many areas of your work – funding, planning, policy, advocacy, community dialogue, training, partner engagement, and more. A card deck is also engaging, easy to use and share, a conversation starter, and a resource - and they are fun and different. So we kept that design for the online images as it can serve similar purposes. 

What are the criteria for inclusion?

The impact data presented meets the following high standard for inclusion criteria:

  • Positive change or trend in a priority development issue;
  • Social change or behaviour change strategy or process;
  • Randomized Control Trial or Systematic Review methodology;
  • High quality peer review journal published;
  • Numeric impact data point
  • Published since 2010.