Cultural considerations for tailoring health programmes: Behavioural and Cultural Insights policy brief series

Overview

Cultural contexts play an important role in shaping how health is understood, how services are used, and how health-related behaviours are adopted and sustained. Norms, values, relationships and shared meanings influence everyday decisions about health and well-being, making culture a powerful resource for effective public health action. Health programmes that engage with cultural contexts can enhance relevance, trust, participation and long-term impact, while supporting equity and people-centred care in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This policy brief is an addendum to the WHO Regional Office for Europe’s A guide to tailoring health programmes and highlights ways in which attention to culture can enhance programme development across the policy and delivery cycle.