Shaping the Future: SBCC’s Role in Population Management

India’s population story has always been shaped by deeply personal decisions – about family size, contraceptive use, and reproductive health. But these decisions don’t happen in a vacuum. They are influenced by cultural norms, community beliefs, and the information (or misinformation) people have access to. This is where Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) steps in – not just to inform people, but to actually shift attitudes and behaviours around family planning. Two campaigns in particular – the Jan Mangal project in Rajasthan and the Condom Bindaas Bol campaign across northern India – show how SBCC can be a powerful force in population management.

What SBCC means in the context of population management 🔗

SBCC is a strategic, research-driven approach that uses communication methodologies and channels to promote positive health behaviours. It goes beyond simply spreading information. SBCC works at multiple levels – individual, community, and societal – to address the root causes of unhealthy or uninformed behaviour. In the context of population management, this means tackling the beliefs, myths, and social pressures that prevent people from making informed choices about family planning.

According to the Family Planning High Impact Practices (HIPs) partnership, SBC interventions are essential components of quality family planning programmes, yet they remain underutilised globally. Investments in SBC complement service delivery and policy, and can be highly cost-effective. These interventions address factors like social and gender norms around fertility, myths about contraceptive side effects, fear of stigma, and gaps in couples’ communication about reproductive health.

In India, where reproductive decisions are often governed by family elders, community expectations, and deep-rooted traditions, SBCC has emerged as one of the most effective tools for shifting the conversation around family planning.

The Jan Mangal project: community-led change in Rajasthan 🔗

Rajasthan has historically faced some of India’s highest population growth rates and lowest rates of contraceptive use, especially in its rural heartland. Access to information was limited, myths about family planning were widespread, and discussions about reproductive health were often considered taboo – particularly for women.

The Jan Mangal project was developed as part of the National Family Planning Programme to generate awareness, create demand for family planning products, and address the socio-cultural barriers that prevented contraceptive adoption in rural communities. The programme was funded by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Rajasthan.

How it worked: the Jan Mangal couple model 🔗

The core innovation of Jan Mangal was its reliance on volunteer husband-and-wife teams, known as Jan Mangal Couples (JMCs). These couples were selected from within communities by Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) after consulting with community members using a pre-decided criteria. The idea was simple but effective: people are more likely to listen to and trust someone from their own community than an outsider or a government official.

These JMCs were trained over three-day sessions covering a wide range of topics – reproductive and child health, adolescent health, types of family planning methods (both temporary and permanent), safe motherhood, sexually transmitted infections, counselling and communication skills, and even record-keeping. The training was implemented by organisations like CUTS Centre for Human Development across multiple blocks and districts.

Breaking barriers at the grassroots 🔗

In rural Rajasthan, the barriers to contraceptive use were not just about lack of access – they were about mindset. Myths about the side effects of modern contraceptives, fear of social judgement, and poor contact between communities and healthcare providers all contributed to low adoption rates. The Jan Mangal project used interpersonal communication strategies – local storytelling, folk songs, community gatherings, and one-on-one counselling – to break down these barriers in a culturally sensitive way.

The project’s strength lay in the fact that its messengers were community insiders. When a respected local couple shared their own experience with family planning or addressed misconceptions in a community meeting, the message carried far more weight than a poster on a health centre wall.

Results and impact 🔗

The outcomes were encouraging. In the Chittorgarh district alone, 325 Jan Mangal Couples were trained across 11 blocks. Qualitative results included increased knowledge of reproductive and child health, greater awareness of family planning methods, improved communication skills among the trained couples, and – most importantly – a rise in demand for temporary family planning methods in rural areas.

The Jan Mangal model demonstrated that community-based SBCC can achieve what top-down programmes often cannot: genuine behaviour change that is sustained beyond the life of the project. By empowering community members to become advocates, the programme ensured that the conversation around family planning continued even after formal interventions ended.

Condom Bindaas Bol: saying it loud, saying it proud 🔗

While Jan Mangal focused on rural Rajasthan, the Condom Bindaas Bol campaign addressed a different but equally critical barrier to population management – the shame and embarrassment associated with purchasing and discussing condoms in urban and semi-urban India.

Why condoms needed a communication intervention 🔗

Despite being available in India since the late 1960s through the National Family Planning Programme, condom use remained stubbornly low. As a review published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research documented, barriers to condom use in India included embarrassment at the point of purchase, the perception that condoms were only for non-marital or high-risk sex, partner non-acceptance, and a general discomfort in discussing the topic openly.

By the mid-2000s, condom sales in northern India were actually declining. Eight states – Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, and Jharkhand – accounted for roughly 45% of India’s condom market and 40% of the country’s population. Something had to change.

The campaign strategy 🔗

Launched in September 2006, Condom Bindaas Bol (meaning “Say Condom Freely”) was a collaborative effort between USAID’s PSP-One project, ICICI Bank, and India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, with creative execution by Weber Shandwick. The campaign carried two clear messages: first, that “condom” is not a delicate word and should be spoken freely; and second, that condom use is for everyone, not just people in high-risk groups.

The campaign used humorous television advertisements featuring everyday scenarios – a lawyer, a police officer, a porter – all casually using the word “condom” to normalise its usage. Celebrity endorsements in public service announcements, editorial partnerships with over 20 publications and broadcast channels, a YouTube podcast, and a viral video showing a shy customer being encouraged to ask for condoms at a shop – all of these were deployed strategically to maximise reach and impact.

Measurable outcomes 🔗

The results were significant. During the project implementation period (2003-2006), commercial condom brand sales volumes grew at a compounded rate of 6.4%, and the value of commercial condom brands sold through retail outlets increased by 10.3%. Consistent condom use with non-spousal partners among sexually active men also rose – a clear indicator of behavioural shift.

The campaign earned widespread recognition, including the United Nations Grand Award for Communications Excellence, the IPRA Golden World Award, a Silver Award at GoaFest for innovative media strategy, and the Grand Effie Award for the most effective advertising campaign – reportedly the first time a social communication campaign won this honour.

Legacy and follow-up campaigns 🔗

The Bindaas Bol campaign paved the way for subsequent initiatives. The Population Foundation of India continued to use entertainment-education approaches through TV serials, IVR systems, and chatbots to reach millions on issues of reproductive and sexual health. The BBC World Service Trust also launched its own condom normalisation campaign in 2007-2008, featuring animated characters and ringtones that turned condom awareness into a pop culture moment.

What Bindaas Bol achieved was more than a sales bump – it initiated a cultural shift. It made it acceptable to talk about condoms in everyday conversation, removing the first and most basic barrier to their use.

Why these SBCC campaigns worked 🔗

Both the Jan Mangal project and the Condom Bindaas Bol campaign succeeded because they followed key SBCC principles that are applicable to population management programmes anywhere.

Addressing behaviour, not just awareness 🔗

Traditional information campaigns tell people what to do. SBCC goes deeper – it addresses why people don’t do it. Both campaigns identified specific barriers (community myths in rural Rajasthan, embarrassment in urban India) and designed strategies to directly tackle those barriers. This is in line with the UNICEF India framework for Communication for Development (C4D), which emphasises that all development goals require behavioural and social change, particularly around harmful gender norms and access to services.

Community ownership and participation 🔗

Jan Mangal worked because it made community members the messengers. Condom Bindaas Bol worked because it used relatable, humorous scenarios that reflected people’s real-life discomfort. Neither campaign imposed change from outside – instead, they created conditions for people to embrace change on their own terms.

Multi-channel communication 🔗

Both campaigns used a mix of communication channels. Jan Mangal relied on interpersonal communication – counselling, community meetings, folk media. Bindaas Bol used mass media – television, print, digital, and even viral marketing. Evidence from the HIPs partnership confirms that SBC programmes are most effective when they use a multi-channel approach, and that greater exposure through different channels leads to a stronger likelihood of behaviour change.

Cultural sensitivity 🔗

Neither campaign tried to override local culture. Instead, they worked within cultural contexts to reframe conversations. In Rajasthan, folk songs and local storytelling were used. In urban India, humour was the vehicle. The messages were tailored to what would resonate with specific audiences – a principle at the heart of effective SBCC design.

The road ahead for SBCC and population management in India 🔗

Despite the success of campaigns like Jan Mangal and Condom Bindaas Bol, significant challenges remain. In many parts of India – particularly in rural and underserved areas – there is still a lack of access to quality family planning services, contraceptives, and reliable health information. Gender norms continue to limit women’s agency in reproductive decision-making. And misinformation about contraceptive methods persists, especially on social media.

The next generation of SBCC in population management will need to leverage digital technologies more effectively. Mobile health platforms, social media campaigns, and AI-powered chatbots are already being explored. The Population Foundation of India’s transmedia programme “Main Kuch Bhi Kar Sakti Hoon” is one example of how entertainment-education can reach millions through multiple platforms simultaneously.

Scaling up SBCC also requires stronger institutional support – better training for frontline health workers, consistent government funding, robust monitoring and evaluation systems, and genuine community participation in programme design. The evidence is clear: when SBCC is done right, it changes not just what people know, but what they believe and how they act.

What do you think? Can community-based SBCC models like Jan Mangal be replicated in other states facing similar population challenges, or do they need to be fundamentally redesigned for each cultural context? And in an age of social media and digital communication, how should future SBCC campaigns balance online reach with the personal touch of face-to-face community engagement?

References

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_and_behavior_change_communication
2. https://fphighimpactpractices.org/briefs/sbc-overview/
3. https://cuts-chd.org/jan-mangal-couple-training-programme/
4. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4345747/
5. https://press.un.org/en/2007/note6096.doc.htm
6. https://news.un.org/en/story/2007/08/228662
7. https://www.populationfoundation.in/approaches2/behaviour-change-communication/
8. https://www.unicef.org/india/what-we-do/communication-for-development