
The C4H approach is based on six principlesrepresented by the word“IMPACT”:Informed by data and theory; Measurable;Planned; Audience- and people-centred;Collaborative; and Targeted. It uses insightsfrom social and behavioural sciences whileworking with other programmes to supportimplementation and achievement of sharedpublic health goals. Communication for Health In the World Health Organization (WHO)Western Pacific Region, WHO has developedtheCommunication for Health (C4H)approach: a set of principles and practicesto help ensure communication interventionsare designed to inform and change attitudesand behaviours in ways that support theachievement of defined public healthoutcomes. For more information, please visitC4Hpage. Surveysis part of a series of research tools tosupport the C4H application. The series aims toequip public health communicationsprofessionals with the foundational knowledgeand skills to better inform, plan, implement andevaluate evidence-based, impact-driven andtargeted C4H interventions. audience’s level of awareness, perceptions,satisfaction or behaviours regarding a certainissue. When should surveys be used? You can use surveys before, during or after the C4Hintervention. Surveys are valuable for collectingbaseline data, which can be used to inform anddesign a C4H intervention, and then follow up onoutputs, outcomes and impact-level data. What are surveys? Surveys are a quantitative research methodused to collect mainly numeric data from asample of people to gain insights into theirknowledge, attitudes and behaviours about aspecific topic. Who should be surveyed? Surveys involve large groups of people, whoare ideally representative of the largerpopulation target group. Examples ofparticipants for a C4H survey could be parentsof infants, health-care workers who areresponding to a health emergency, youngsocial media users exposed to a mental health Why use surveys? Surveys will help you collect informationdescribing the characteristics of a certain targetgroup and report on measures of the target Applying Communication for HealthResearch tools: Surveys campaign, or members of a culturally andlinguistically diverse community targeted by atobacco cessation communications campaign. Ifyou want to understand the public in general,you will seek to obtain a sample that isrepresentative of the general population. responsibility is to ensure survey participantsunderstand the purpose of the survey, whatwill be done with their personal informationand how you are treating it in terms ofdisclosure. Participants should be ensured thattheir data will be managed and stored safelyand securely. Ethical considerations Depending on your organization’s ethicsprotocols, you might have to submit a proposalfor ethics review. Surveys, just like other research methods, requireparticipants to give their informed consent. Your Benefits and limitations of surveys Benefits Limitations Some topics are too complex forsurveys to adequately unpack and,as a result, may leave morequestions unanswered thananswered. For instance, it may bedifficult to understand the reasonsbehind participants’knowledge,attitudes and behaviours through asurvey. Surveys can be conducted bytelephone, online or face-to-face,depending on the context and theavailable resources. Surveys can allow for data collectionof large groups of people at relativelylow cost. When probability sampling isapplied, survey estimates can begenerated for the population. There is a risk of social desirabilitybias, which is when people respondin a way that they feel is moresocially acceptable and makes themappear better. Quantitative survey analysis can bemore straightforward thanqualitative methods, and can bemore easily visualized. Obtaining a probability sample ofyour population can be difficultwhen comprehensive datasets donot exist. The same survey can be conductedin waves over time to allow forcomparison and to measure changeamongst the target group. How do you conduct research using surveys? Plan your survey design Before developing any questions, you need a clear idea of the information needed toinform or evaluate your communication intervention. Refer to your C4H plan to ensurethat the survey questions will yield the data you would like to collect. Define your target population Your survey sample should reflect the target audience of your C4H intervention. Once youhave decided what information you need and who your target population is, then youcan decide how best to disseminate your survey so that it reaches the target group. Sample a population It is rarely possible to survey every person who is part of your target audience. Instead,you will select a sample that is representative of your target audience. The data youcollect from the sample will help you draw conclusions about the target audience as awhole. There are a few questions that can help you decide on the sample size: What are you planning to do with the data?