Chapter 10

Advocacy

© John Hubley & June Copeman 2013

 Advocacy for health
A combination of individual and social
actions designed to gain political
commitment, political support, social
acceptance and systems support for a
particular health goal or programme.

WHO 1995
Advocacy is the process used to
overcome the major structural
barriers to public health goals.

Structural barriers are usually legislative,

policy or regulative measures that hinder
the practice of good health or,
alternatively, are failing to protect good
health.
 Health movements’ goals include
• Seeking to change the health care and
public health systems
• Influencing health research by direct
funding or shaping priorities in public
funding
• Promoting the involvement of patients and
consumers
Classification of health movements
Brown et al. (2004) suggest the following three categories:

• Health access movements

• Embodied health movements
• Constituency-based health movements
 Activities of health consumer
groups in UK

• Providing information
• Increasing awareness of the condition
• Providing advice and support
• Influencing policy
• Building networks
• Fund raising
 Political activities of health
consumer groups
• National awareness weeks
• Professional conferences
• Networking with civil servants
• Lobbying parliament
• Responding to enquiries from media
• Actively seeking publicity
• Fringe meetings at party conferences
• Producing reports
• Research
A pressure group is an organization that seeks
to represent interests or preferences in society,
has a certain degree of independence from
government and is not a recognized political
party. (Baggott, 1995)

Social movements are informal networks

based on shared beliefs and solidarity
which mobilize around conflictual issues
and deploy frequent and varying forms of
protest. (Della Porta and Diani, 1999)
 Define policy changes needed

Planning process for advocacy

Identify key decision-
makers/gatekeepers

Form alliances/networks

Prepare advocacy strategy

Policymakers
Public support
Media

Implement strategy

Review and refine strategy

 Tools of advocacy in health
promotion
• Research and information-gathering skills
• Forming alliances, coalitions or forums
• Lobbying
• Getting media coverage
• Activities to support advocacy
• Having a plan
• Evaluation and learning from mistakes
 Press release
• Short statement giving 5 “Ws”
– What is happening?
– Who will be there?
– Why is it happening?
– When is it happening?
– Where is it happening?
• Contact name and telephone provided
• Further sheet with background information
 Advocacy and debates in
health promotion
Advocacy is also the most difficult area of health
promotion action as it involves controversy, risk and
exposure to criticisms, reprisals and - in the case of
direct action - even imprisonment.
Some of the lessons are:
• Find people with influence and power who will support your case.
• A group of people is better when something is controversial.
• Always support your case with accurate information, including
specific examples, with testimonies and photographs.
• Harness the power of email and the internet to link up with others
who feel the same way you do and will support you.
• Many issues have international implications – contact others.
• If your cause is a just one, you will have the support of a network of well
wishers within your country and abroad.