Background
In the densely populated settlements that sprawl across the barren desert outskirts of Lima, Perú, homes are often built from materials scavenged from nearby garbage dumps and landfills. The water may not be clean and may arrive by pipe, by truck, or by hand in some cases. In all cases, this is the water people use for drinking, cooking, bathing, washing clothes, and cleaning.
Canyon Ranch Institute (CRI), in partnership with The Clorox Company, is collaborating with the Boston University College of Fine Arts to develop the Arts for Behavior Change (ABC) Program. The ABC Program is a unique merger of health literacy, the arts, and public health. In addition, experts from the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona are conducting microbiological work to identify changes in levels of disease-causing germs in households. Local Peruvian groups are also collaborating to produce the artistic components of the program and to evaluate its effectiveness. Read about the collaborators.
How We're Making a Difference
The ABC Program's innovative approach uses “storytelling” arts – such as theater, music, and dance – to advance health literacy about healthy hygiene practices and improve the health of people living in low-income communities. What we are learning from the ABC Program in Perú will strengthen our ability to help prevent disease and death in the United States and around the world.
The overall design of t
Actors from Asociación Kallpa, an ABC Program collaborator, present "telenovela" plays and engage audience members in addressing community health challenges. he intervention is based on a large body of work often called Theater of the Oppressed, which uses a range of theatrical forms to develop collective solutions to concrete problems. We developed a brand-new type of theater called “Theater for Health.” In this type of theater, the community participates in the development of a play. During the performances, actors and participating community members interact and learn to collaboratively develop solutions to health challenges.
Content of the artistic performances is informed by an initial formative assessment that identified current hygiene practices, barriers to healthier behaviors, and culturally grounded and widely shared narratives that can be adapted for this project.
Evaluation
- Evaluation is a key and robust part of the ABC Program and uses qualitative and quantitative methods. The ABC Program is being evaluated through:
- Microbiological testing for levels of a suite of bacteria, viruses, and parasites in a sample of households;
- Assessment of the implementation and impact of the program on participants' hygiene-related behaviors; and
- Process evaluation to monitor and document the implementation process for future replication by learning about participants’ reactions and take-aways after attending performances, and to improve the intervention by providing feedback to the artists.
