Content
Discussion - Part 2
Advocacy
By this point,
you've probably come to realize that health is often determined
by social, economic and political forces beyond the scope of health
promotion practice. In order to make meaningful progress on addressing
health issues in a community, health promoters often have to go
beyond the services they can provide. Advocacy may be needed for
policy changes or other measures addressing the underlying conditions
in a community contributing to poor health outcomes, such as poverty,
homelessness, unemployment, poor air quality or inadequate public
transportation. This is the reason why advocacy, the process of
gaining political commitment for a particular health goal or program,
is a critical health promotion strategy.
Tactics
Health promoters
can choose from a range of advocacy methods. Table 5.1 illustrates
the key advocacy tactics used to build support for healthy public
policies and other measures according to their degree of 'profile'
or attention they generate (Ontario Public Health Association,
1996).
| Table
5.1: Menu of Advocacy Tactics |
|
Low
Profile
|
|
quiet
negotiation
meeting civil servants
sharing information
non-public briefs |
|
Medium
Profile
|
|
continued
negotiation
meeting civil servants
public briefs
"feed" the opposition
deputations at committees
meetings with elected officials
alliances with other groups
letters to elected officials/newspapers |
|
High
Profile
|
|
public
criticism
P.R. and ad campaigns
Information distribution
letter writing
demonstrations and rallies |
| Source:
OPHA |
|
