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While there has been a marked increase in measurement and scholarship surrounding social norms in recent years, there is little evidence related to social norms measurement in the context of health campaigns utilizing entertainment-education. Entertainment-education goals and objectives have shifted over time to include social norms and an update is needed to merge contemporary practice with the most recent measures from the literature. The aim of the present study was to analyze commonly used quantitative measures and their properties for social norms and entertainment-education, specifically on the topic of family planning, to bolster ongoing research and practice efforts by validating items for social norms measurement in entertainment-education programs. The study used data from a survey conducted with 438 married women aged 19–34 in the Central Province of Zambia in 2019 who were exposed to the entertainment-education initiative Kwishilya (Over the Horizon), a Bemba-language, 156-episode radio program designed to shift social norms on family planning. Multiple items were included to measure descriptive norms, injunctive norms, and outcome expectations. Exploratory factor analysis and estimates of scale reliability were conducted to understand the properties and structure of the social norms items. Results showed a five-factor solution best fit the data, which accounted for 45.7% of the variance, exhibited fair reliability, and loaded largely as expected. This study provides a useful tool for practitioners and scholars to use globally to measure important social norms constructs in entertainment-education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The health communication strategy known as entertainment–education can be traced in large part to Miguel Sabido and the methodology he developed using telenovelas in Latin America in the 1960s and 1970s. Entertainment–education has evolved from a long-running narrative approach using traditional media to the addition of new media and transmedia formats. In recent years, entertainment–education programs using social media have increased, yet few studies have explored the shared characteristics and experiences of social media users who engage with these programs. This qualitative study aimed TO examine publicly available social media data (i.e. YouTube and Instagram comments) in response to Girlsplained, an online entertainment–education program designed with objectives related to sexual health and HIV prevention among Black, Asian, and minority ethnic women in the United Kingdom. A process of directed content analysis uncovered five themes of engagement: characters and the narrative; social media; gender and race; HIV/PrEP; and sex and pregnancy prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the United States, Hispanic children experience dramatically different educational outcomes compared to other racial and ethnic groups. Educational disparities begin at the earliest phases of formal education; left unaddressed, challenges can persist. To address this, Univision, the most-watched Spanish-language network in the United States, launched Camino al Éxito (Road to Success), a multimedia prosocial storytelling campaign designed to reach parents with helpful messages about key risk transitions through the K-12 education life cycle. Following narrative engagement theory, this study sought to understand the role of narrative-based information utilized in this entertainment-based prosocial campaign by examining U.S. Hispanic parents' (N = 153) responses to a short TV documentary and a printed campaign resource document. Those exposed to the documentary showed significantly higher posttest mean levels of knowledge than the print condition. Results suggest that documentary storytelling can be effectively employed in prosocial entertainment media campaigns for social change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sabido Methodology (TSM) is recognised as a discrete methodology of entertainment-education (EE). EE programmes are intentionally designed to entertain and educate through the weaving in of important health and social messaging into powerful storytelling. Sabido-style dramas are highly effective in promoting social and behaviour change around a myriad of issues and its usefulness has been widely documented in long-running serial dramas on traditional media. There is little documentation, however, of how TSM could be applied to newer media, such as social media (SM). Girlsplained was created with the aim of addressing the sexual health of young Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women in the United Kingdom. Key lessons from the effort can be used to build a proposed framework for adapting TSM to SM, i.e., The Sabido Methodology for Social Media (TSM4SM). We hypothesise 4 key features of TSM4SM should include: 1) the major tenets of TSM in a web-based drama with shorter story arcs; 2) the use of humour as per the Laugh Model framework to create a fourth character; 3) the use of transmedia to create a SM feed following the life of the transitional character based on TSM principles; and 4) a target audience of younger people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a marked increase in the literature in recent years about social norms, what they are, and how to measure them. New theoretical connections indicate specific significance for those working with global health programs that use narrative interventions, such as mass, print, and community media. The literature is dense, however. Different terms describe similar constructs, and the sheer number of new articles and emerging academic frameworks can be overwhelming. In this letter, we briefly summarize current social norms and narrative theorizing and provide examples of global programs that have effectively applied these theories. In so doing, we hope to further the conversation on what differentiates narrative programs designed to shift social norms, as compared to non-narrative programs and/or programs that seek to influence knowledge, attitudes, and practices alone. We conclude with implications for practitioners designing and implementing global health programs that target social norms with narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social impact entertainment programming has roots in the development communication strategy known as entertainment-education. Social impact entertainment programming has gained traction in recent years in the United States, with media studios and corporations now operating social impact divisions and academic centres studying the effects of mass media projects designed to inspire change. There is a gap in the literature, however, of formative research conducted to describe the development and design of these programmes. This gap contributes to a lack of information not only to replicate this work, but also a weakness in understanding underlying theoretical mechanisms required to foster positive change across emerging social and behaviour change communication strategies. This article analyses qualitative interviews to understand the creation of a social impact entertainment programme on healthy ageing for Hispanics on Univision, the U.S.-based Spanish-language network. Healthy ageing cuts across the sustainable development goals and is a health priority for diverse, global populations as more people are living longer. The study concludes that media professionals were compelled by higher-value inclinations; the process of creating tailored healthy ageing content included strategy and research integration; and materials included television, digital, social media, and community events. Implications for development communication practitioners and scholars are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]