title: Community engagement to enhance child survival and early development in low- and middle-income countries: an evidence review.
abstract: As part of a broader evidence summit, USAID and UNICEF convened a literature review of effective means to empower communities to achieve behavioral and social changes to accelerate reductions in under-5 mortality and optimize early child development. The authors conducted a systematic review of the effectiveness of community mobilization and participation that led to behavioral change and one or more of the following: child health, survival, and development. The level and nature of community engagement was categorized using two internationally recognized models and only studies where the methods of community participation could be categorized as collaborative or shared leadership were eligible for analysis. The authors identified 34 documents from 18 countries that met the eligibility criteria. Studies with shared leadership typically used a comprehensive community action cycle, whereas studies characterized as collaborative showed clear emphasis on collective action but did not undergo an initial process of community dialogue. The review concluded that programs working collaboratively or achieving shared leadership with a community can lead to behavior change and cost-effective sustained transformation to improve critical health behaviors and reduce poor health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries. Overall, community engagement is an understudied component of improving child outcomes.
authors.affiliation: a U.S. Agency for International Development , Washington , District of Columbia , USA.
authors.forename: S Katherine
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Farnsworth
authors.forename: Kirsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Böse
authors.forename: Olaoluwa
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Fajobi
authors.forename: Patricia Portela
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Souza
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peniston
authors.forename: Leslie L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Davidson
authors.forename: Marcia
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Griffiths
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hodgins
mesh_terms: D002657:Child Development; D046688:Child Mortality; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003256:Community Participation; D003906:Developing Countries; D006801:Humans; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic