Integrating basic science insights from psychology, cognitive science, and behavior change research, “The Science of Habit: Creating Disruptive and Sticky Behavior Change in Handwashing Behavior” presents six principles for creating greater initiation and maintenance of handwashing change. Read the new WASHplus report here.
Hand Washing and the Science of Habit: A Webinar
On December 4, WASHplus and the global Public Private Partnership for Handwashing (PPPHW) co-hosted a webinar with David Neal, Ph.D., from Catalyst Behavior Sciences and the University of Miami. Dr. Neal is a social psychologist specializing in behavior change and the advanced measurement of human decision making. He discussed the usefulness of habit theory for health programming targeting households. Although he emphasized ways to apply the basic science of habit and behavior change to real world health interventions and program delivery, with a focus on behavior change for handwashing with soap, his ideas are relevant to anyone working on behavior change activities. The webinar was well attended by nearly 200 participants from 15 countries with more than 1,000 subsequent views. The countries included: Bhutan, Cambodia, Canada, India, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Uzbekistan, and Zambia. A recording of the webinar and slides are available here.
WASHplus Blog 