It is clear that FGC is a social norm in Indonesia as much as in parts of West Africa, where social change programmes have enabled communities to abandon the practice.
Indeed, the 1973 oil crisis and the resulting global recession dampened enthusiasm for heavy investments in health, but also resistance from health professionals and the lack of political will to implement social change programmes contributed to a failure of implementing the Alma Ata principles in many countries.
The social change programme encourages communities to raise problems and define solutions on a variety of concerns.
BBC World Service's new schedule, which launches this autumn, will also include new factual strand The Compass, which will cover topics as diverse as adulthood, climate change and the speed of technical and social change in a programme featuring Fi Glover and Martha Lane Fox.
The study described here is part of the Programme "Social Change, Asthma and Allergy in Latin America" (SCAALA), a research programme being conducted in Ecuador and Brazil (in the North Eastern city of Salvador), funded by The Wellcome Trust as part of the programme of Major Awards to Centres of Excellence in Latin America.
In addition, children today can benefit from social and psychological behaviour change programmes to prevent falling back into conflict with the law.
In addition, UNICEF will continue to utilize Communication for Development as a cross-cutting strategy to facilitate behaviour and social change for achievement of programme results in all sectors.
Hence, it is important that health care professionals are sensitive to these 'special' social issues, when implementing behavioural change programmes aimed at modifying diet and physical activity.
However, when governments translate political vision into programmes for social change, the complexity of issues can overwhelm the policy-making process, creating disappointment and suboptimal outcomes.
Sarah Kennedy is Development Director of S.A.F.E., a Kenyan NGO and UK Charity that uses performing arts and community programmes to deliver social change.
Mr Redmond said: "It was incredibly difficult to decide on a shortlist as all the bids recognised the power of culture to bring about social change and offered innovative and interesting programmes.
