Role of Social and Behaviour Change Communication in Improving Community Nutrition and Maternal–child Health in India: Implications for State-Level SBCC Strategy

Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) has become central to public health programming in low and middle-income countries, where sociocultural norms, behavioural barriers, and weak service uptake limit the impact of nutrition and maternal–child health interventions.1-3 In India, despite sustained investments in schemes such as the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the National Health Mission (NHM), Poshan Abhiyaan and Anaemia Mukt Bharat, undernutrition, anaemia, and suboptimal maternal–child health practices remain highly prevalent.4–6 This gap underscores the limitations of information-oriented approaches and the need for more nuanced, participatory communication strategies that engage families, communities, and systems.7 SBCC goes beyond information dissemination to address determinants of behaviour at individual, interpersonal, community, and system levels, including knowledge, beliefs, social norms, power relations, and the enabling environment.1,8,9 This paper presents the conceptual foundations of SBCC, differentiates it from traditional Information, Education and Communication (IEC), and examines its role in improving community nutrition and maternal–child health outcomes within the Indian public health system. Particular emphasis is placed on the roles of frontline workers and supervisors under ICDS and NHM, community mobilization processes, and monitoring and evaluation of behaviour change. Building on national and international guidance and state experiences, the paper proposes a structured SBCC strategy framework for State Health Departments aligned with Poshan Abhiyaan and Mission Poshan 2.0, with clear objectives, target audiences, key messages, communication channels, capacity-building priorities, and monitoring indicators.10-12 When SBCC is institutionalized within state systems, supported by convergent planning and robust supervision, it has the potential to transform maternal and child nutrition practices at scale and sustain improvements across generations.13