Shaping Health Choices Through Segmented Storytelling

How might we seamlessly promote 17 priority behaviors without overload and confusion to the intended audience?

Country: Nigeria

Health Area: Integrated Health; Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH); and Nutrition

Context and Insights

Decision making in the household is deeply influenced by a couple’s parents, in-laws, social norms about gender roles, and religious and traditional practices. Even if a woman felt convinced she should give birth in a hospital or practice exclusive breastfeeding, many other people in her life have control over whether that would happen. Enabling a couple to make healthy decisions together would require addressing not just the woman, but the husband, their parents, their local religious and traditional leaders, and many others in their community, especially in Northern Nigeria.

The Solution

Albishirin Ku! is a radio drama intended for community influencers in household decision making. It featured daily five-minute segments that unfolded through various narrative perspectives of key characters, showcasing positive deviants and evolving antagonists. This short format allowed the program to air the same segment three times a day, increasing the likelihood of audience exposure regardless of when they tuned in. Additionally, the brevity made it suitable for phone listening, expanding its reach through another broadcast channel. The entire series is available for rebroadcast.

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“When you’re from a large family, it is hard to dispel the misconceptions your family members have around immunizations. I can stand tall and declare that Albishirin Ku! has changed me. It has changed me, and I have changed others.” — Fatima Muhammed, Bauchi State, Nigeria

“The Albishirin Ku! show has been highly impactful on us as a family. It has strengthened our bond. We have also learned about childbirth spacing and how to improve the health and well-being of our children.” — Muhammed Auwal Sulaiman, Bauchi State, Nigeria

The Innovation

The Albishirin Ku! radio drama used unique storytelling, combined with a strategic application of the Socio-Ecological Model and a highly effective broadcast strategy. This multi-level approach ensured health messages were reinforced across different layers of influence, from personal beliefs to societal norms. The short-format episodes allowed the drama to be easily integrated into daily radio schedules and made it accessible through mobile broadcasts. This format also ensured frequent exposure and reinforcement of health messages, which is critical for behavior change.

The Evidence

The success of the Albishirin Ku! radio drama is supported by both qualitative and quantitative evidence:

Audience Reach: The program reached over 76% of men and women across the intervention states in northern Nigeria and 18% of the listeners discussed the show with someone.
Engagement: Listener feedback has shown high levels of engagement, with many reporting that they tune in regularly to follow the stories and health messages.
Behavioral Impact: Surveys conducted post-broadcast indicate increased efficacy in health-seeking behaviors among listeners. For instance, after exposure to the drama, the number of women who attend health facilities for antenatal care and adopting family planning methods notably rose.

These data points underscore the effectiveness of the drama in changing health behaviors and improving health outcomes in the target communities. Its evidence of success, innovative format, and scalable design make it a powerful tool for health communication and behavior change.

Scale-Up & Adapt

Radio is a widely accessible medium in northern Nigeria, and the short-format episodes were broadcast multiple times a day, ensuring broad and frequent reach. Twenty-six radio stations broadcasted the 93 episodes of the radio show in four states. The program had high exposure reported in nonintervention communities in the northern region.

The 93 episodes of radio drama were reprogrammed for on-demand access via mobile phones, reaching 6,011,760 callers who made 34,958,762 calls to listen to Albishirin Ku! content (August 2021–March 2024). The potential for mobile broadcasts further enhanced its scalability, allowing it to reach even remote and underserved areas.

Who can I speak with about this solution?

Idi Nasiru, Senior Program Officer II, Media

Justin DeNormandie, SBC & Innovations Advisor

Shittu Abdu-Aguye, Chief of Party, Nigeria

Other resources

The Albishirin Ku! Radio Drama Program Brief [PDF]
Fatima and Auwal’s Story [Video]
Albishirin Ku! The Secret Sauce [Video]

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This website is made possible by the support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The Breakthrough awards are supported by USAID’s Office of Population and Reproductive Health, Bureau for Global Health, under Cooperative Agreements: #AID-OAA-A-17-00017 and #AID-OAA-A-17-00018. Breakthrough ACTION is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health’s Center for Communication Programs. Breakthrough RESEARCH is based at Population Council. The contents of this website are the sole responsibility of Breakthrough ACTION and Breakthrough RESEARCH. The information provided on this website is not official U.S. Government information and does not necessarily represent the views or positions of USAID, the United States Government, Johns Hopkins University, or Population Council.