How can advocacy be used in public health?

Advocacy is increasingly recognised as a key element of the public health role as it can help in promoting health and well-being. Public health includes all work to protect and improve health and involves people from all sectors and disciplines.

• Advocacy can be carried out by the people affected by an issue or problem, by other people representing them, or by both groups together.
• Advocacy is often more powerful if those affected by the problem or issue are involved in or lead the process.

Principles

The toolkit builds on the idea that that work on health must address the root causes of illness and disease, including the social, environmental, biological and psychological factors that impact on health and wellbeing together with the provision of effective services.

The key principles central to public health advocacy are:

• Human Rights - recognising health as a basic human right as the basis for all public health advocacy.
• Equity - advocating for equality of access, participation and outcomes in health and health service utilization and for the reduction of inequalities in health.
• Democracy - Enabling people, communities and organisations to participate in decision- making which impacts on health.
• Inclusion - Working in partnership with people, communities and organisations to ensure inclusion across sectors, communities, individuals and representative organisations.