Investigating the Influence of Social Norms on Intentions and Behaviors; a Multi-level Analyses of Iron Consumption Behaviors Among Women in India
Open AccessSocial norms research has made great strides in recent decades; researchers now understand that not only do people shift their own behaviors to conform to the behaviors and expectations of those around them, but their tendency to do so can be altered by the presence of other factors. The Theory of Normative Social Behavior (TNSB) has mapped various multi-level factors that can strengthen or attenuate the effect of social norms on behavior intentions in a variety of contexts. However, TNSB has had several advancements that have yet to be tested in many underserved contexts, including anemia prevention in India, where negative social norms hinder the demand of iron-folic acid (IFA) among non-pregnant women. In two papers, this dissertation used data from Reduction in Anemia through Normative Innovations (RANI) Project to explicate TNSB in this context.Paper 1 tested potential multi-level moderators to the influence of various social norms (i.e., descriptive, injunctive, and collective norms) on intention to consume IFA among non-pregnant women in India. The results of this study indicated that positive shifts in perceived social norms (i.e., descriptive and injunctive norms) can have a positive effect on women’s intention to consume IFA, but this effect is stronger for women who believe that consuming IFA will incur positive benefits to their health. Additionally, positive shifts to injunctive norms, or the perception that important others except you to consume IFA, only translated into positive intentions among women who did not belong to a marginalized caste group. Lastly, our findings indicate that women who live far away from community health centers may experience positive shifts to their intentions if many other women in their village begin consuming IFA (i.e., collective norms), regardless of what they think others are doing. The findings suggest that creating positive shifts to social norms can be an effective way to promote IFA consumption among non-pregnant women if other relevant factors support the behavior. Paper 2 investigated if intention to consume IFA formed by various forms of norms differ in their likelihood of being enacted. The results from this study indicate that intention to consume IFA formed by shifts in descriptive norms are more likely to be enacted than intentions formed by shifts in collective norms. Similarly, intentions formed by descriptive norms are more likely to be enacted than intentions formed by injunctive norms. These results suggest that the motivations of intentions differs based on the social norms that formed it. Intervention designers in limited-resource settings may find success in positively shifting behaviors if they focus on shifts to descriptive norms more than shifts to other types of norms. Overall, the findings from this dissertation suggest that the use of norms-based approaches can be an effective tool for promoting IFA consumption among non-pregnant women in India. In particular, this study explicates the differences between perceived versus actual norms in a context that it has yet to be explored in. The findings indicate that intervention designers can find success in shifting perceptions of what others are doing, even if many others are not currently engaging in the health behavior. However, these efforts will be most successful if they are coupled with the resource needs of that population and education on the benefits of consuming IFA. These findings also indicate that TNSB, and other similar theories which posit that the relationship between social norms and behavior is mediated through intentions must variation in the relationship between intentions and behaviors across the types of social norm that can influence intentions.
- All rights reserved
Notice to Authors
If you are the author of this work and you have any questions about the information on this page, please use the Contact form to get in touch with us.