There is increasing recognition that human behavior is a key determinant of health which can either enhance or comprise population health.   

Cigarette smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, other substance abuse, unhealthy dietary habits, sedentary lifestyles, and nonadherence to effective medication regimens are among the health-compromising behaviors identified and targeted for modification or prevention with consequent benefit to public health[1].

In recognition of this, the Ministry of Health and Social Services and the University of Namibia Faculty of Health Sciences and Veterinary Medicine with support from WHO  held a high-level orientation meeting in Windhoek Namibia on 25 March 2025 to orient managers and directors on the importance of integrating behavioral insight in public health programmes.   The one-day orientation meeting intended to:

provide the Unit heads and MOHSS management with an introduction to the principles and applications of behavioral insights in the context of public health.
explore examples of evidence-based practices and interventions grounded in behavioral insights that have proven effective in addressing public health issues, with a focus on their relevance to the university's academic programs and the MOHSS's operational initiatives.
collaboratively identify priority areas within public health where the integration of behavioral insights can lead to improved outcomes, guiding future research, educational curricula, and healthcare strategies.
Speaking on behalf of the WHO Namibia Officer in Charge, Mrs Celia Kaunatjike noted that by exploring systematically and routinely, into both individual and contextual determinants of health, behavioral insights and cultural context analysis provide comprehensive insights to inform cost-effective health policies, services, and communications. Mrs Kaunatjike further noted that evidence suggests that the application of BI leads to improvements in population health outcomes and return on investment. 

The Deputy Executive Director in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, Mr Jeremia Nghipundjwa expressed his appreciation for the introduction of BI and emphasized contextualizing to public health and developing tools that will enable programmes apply BI in their planning and implementation. 

The May 2023 World Health Assembly adapted  the Resolution: Behavioural sciences for better health, signaling global recognition for the contribution of behavioral science in achieving improved health outcomes and the development of responsive health policies and health systems.

In response to and support for the actualization of the resolution, the WHO Regional Office for Africa, introduced the  “Mainstreaming BI Project in public health to  coordinate efforts and accelerate progress in integrating BI in the work of academia and ministries of health in three pilot countries: Burkina Faso, Namibia and Zambia and across the region. The Project is made possible through a Rockefeller Foundation (RKF) grant and is co-funded by the Health Promotion and Social Determinants of Health Unit, in the Healthier Population Cluster in the WHO African Regional office.

The orientation meeting in Namibia recommended capacity development of Ministry of Health and Social Services staff across all directorates, integration of BI in existing in-service trainings and ensuring the finalization of the curriculum development for the proposed Postgraduate Diploma on BI.