The saleema initiative in Sudan to abandon female genital mutilation: outcomes and dose response effects

Evans, W. Douglas; Donahue, Cody; Snider, Jeremy; Bedri, Nafisa; Elhussein, Tibyaan A.; Elamin, Samira Ahmed

The saleema initiative in Sudan to abandon female genital mutilation: outcomes and dose response effects

Files

pone.0213380.pdf (498.77 KB)

Authors

Evans, W. Douglas

Donahue, Cody

Snider, Jeremy

Bedri, Nafisa

Elhussein, Tibyaan A.

Elamin, Samira Ahmed

Issue Date

2019-03-12

Type

Article

Language

en_US

Keywords

Saleema Initiative , Sudan , Abandon Female Genital Mutilation , Outcomes , Dose Response Effects

Abstract

Purpose: The overall goal of the Saleema Initiative in Sudan is to promote long-term abandonment of female genital mutilation and cutting (FGM) through a contribution to changing social norms, attitudes, and intentions related to the practice. The initiative aims to create positive cultural associations with a girl remaining uncut, a new social norm. Saleema hypothesizes that branding the alternative to FGM (abandonment) will promote social norms change. In 2014, the lead author designed a monitoring and evaluation framework for Saleema in partnership with UNICEF, the National Council for Child Welfare (NCCW), and local organizations. Methods: The Saleema evaluation aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the campaign in reducing pro-FGM social norms. A quasi-experimental design controlled for dosage of campaign messages delivered across the 18 states in Sudan to measure a dose-response effect. We operationalized social norms through a 4-item scale validated in previous research. Results: This paper reports on quantitative evaluation findings based on data gathered in from 2015–2017 and focuses on the dose-response relationship between Saleema exposure and changes in FGM social norms. We found that self-reported exposure was associated with reduced pro-FGM social norms (coeff. = -0.329, p < .001). Additionally, higher doses of Saleema, measured through an exogenous measure of campaign event exposure from an independent monitoring system was associated with reduced pro-FGM social norms (coeff. = -0.146, p < .001). Conclusions: Saleema was effective in reducing pro-FGM social norms. It is a promising strategy and findings contribute to the growing literature on social norms approaches to behavior change.

Citation

Evans, W. D., Donahue, C., Snider, J., Bedri, N., Elhussein, T. A., & Elamin, S. A. (2019). The Saleema initiative in Sudan to abandon female genital mutilation: Outcomes and dose response effects. PloS one, 14(3), e0213380. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0213380

Publisher

PloS One