Health communication from an environmental perspective

The book analyses why the Kin-Bopeto campaign in Kinshasa did not fully succeed in improving waste management despite its notoriety. The main idea is that the effectiveness of public health and environmental communication depends on the perception and active integration of messages by the population and not on simple dissemination. This highlights the gap between political intentions and actual impact in the face of urban insalubrity.Insalubrity in Kinshasa is a complex problem linked to communication and socio-cultural realities. The study shows that awareness of a campaign is no guarantee of deep understanding or lasting behavioral change. Only 40% of residents surveyed had changed their habits. For campaigns to be effective strategies need to be adapted to barriers (economic social infrastructural) and actively engage the population taking account of their experiences.The book insists on a holistic approach to urban sanitation. We need to combine communication adapted to the terrain with concrete support (infrastructure incentives).