Event highlights
9 March 2023
“As doctors and policy-makers, we know that much of people’s health behaviour is influenced by their environment, social relations and their psychology, but behavioural and cultural insights (BCI) provide frameworks to study and address these factors systematically,” said Ivana Brkić Biloš, Head of the Division for Epidemiology and Prevention of Noncommunicable Chronic Diseases at the Croatian Institute of Public Health. “You can see the shift in thinking even in such a short workshop. I think all of us have come away with new ideas on how to use BCI to improve health outcomes.”
“It is always fruitful to bring together people from different backgrounds to discuss health challenges, as well as to learn from international examples,” said Iva Pejnović Franelić, Liaison Officer at the WHO Country Office in Croatia. “The discussion on how BCI can be applied in the Croatian context identified several promising opportunities, and I am excited to see what we can achieve together.”
Although capacity building was the primary focus of the workshop, the discussions between attendees identified several health behaviours in Croatia that would benefit from a BCI approach. The workshop coincided with Croatia’s Cancer Screening Awareness Month, and colorectal cancer screening was one of the areas identified to potentially benefit from a BCI approach. Despite the necessary systems and regular reminders being in place, only 25% of eligible citizens complete their at-home cancer screening, which suggests that behavioural and cultural factors are likely preventing people from engaging in this behaviour.
Event notice
On 8 March 2023 representatives from the Ministry of Health, the Croatian Institutes of Public Health and other parts of the Croatian health service will come together for a half-day workshop titled “Applying behavioural and cultural insights (BCI) for better health”, delivered by the BCI Unit from the WHO Regional Office for Europe.
The workshop will provide participants with key insights on how psychological, social, cultural and structural factors influence health behaviours, and how BCI approaches can be harnessed to design, implement and evaluate solutions.
For more information, please contact Tiina Likki at euinsights@who.int .
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