Study Group - Advocacy Flashcards
What is advocacy?
Individuals & non-governmental organizations working together to inform public opinions, set agendas, or communicate through media about specific health topic
How is advocacy accomplished?
- Adding value about need for policy change
- Engage stakeholders
- Educating decision makers about the issue
- Influencing decision makers by actions & messages of coalitions associated with health problem
- Learn decision makers’ previous knowledge & awareness of health issue
How can HES influence outcomes through advocacy efforts to meet community needs?
- Make public policy & resource allocation decisions within political, economic, social systems, & institutions
- Fully understand health issue/problem & any potential solutions
- Know the best way to present information to those who can make positive changes (i.e. legislators)
- Have organized plan to increase likelihood advocacy efforts are successful
What factors need to be considered when developing plan for advocating for health policy?
- Community needs assessment
- Scientific analysis of results
- Impact of any current programs
- Availability of resources that can be used to support & maintain policy
Who has the ability to impact health-related policy?
- US congress
- Federal health agencies
- State legislatures
- Health care providers
- Businesses
- Local communities
What do HES need to do to advocate for policy, systems, or environmental change?
Identify & prioritize health issues or behaviors
What factors could be included in determining SDOH to aid in advocacy efforts?
- Individual (knowledge, attitudes)
- Interpersonal (provider recommendations)
- Organizational
- Community (media campaigns, transportation)
- Policy
How can HES advocate for policy, systems, or environmental change in the future?
Explore SDOH that influence health problem/issue
What information should HES gather from evidence-based research to prepare for advocacy efforts?
- Health issue(s)
- Distribution of health issues
- Impacts on health issues
- Socio-economic cost of policy
- Barriers to advocacy campaign
- Potential solutions for background information
- Desired changes
How can evaluation & research findings in policy analysis help with advocacy?
- Inform health policy debates
- Help address decision makers’ information needs regarding longstanding critical issues
- Serves as key resource to help HES remain current with reported policy implications, identify solutions, & translate effective policy & media advocacy techniques
What forces affect organizing, financing, & delivery of health-related policy?
- Congress
- Federal health agencies
- States
- Health care providers & businesses
- Local communities
Factors that support advocacy
- Training in advocacy skills & issues
- Participating in national action (i.e. SOPHE)
- Collaboration via coalitions/partnerships
- Educational programs at collegiate level
Factors that hinder advocacy
- Lack of awareness of current issues or legislation
- Lack of advocacy skills
- Positions that prohibit ability to advocate during work hours
- Lack of time & funding
- Lack of self- or collective efficacy
How can coalitions aid in advocacy efforts?
- Strengthening & expanding resources by identifying existing coalitions & stakeholder allies who share similar advocacy goals/interests
- Benefits outweigh costs of joining advocacy initiative
How can HES recruit more stakeholders to take part in advocacy initiative?
Benefit-to-cost analysis: emphasis on the benefits
- Identify & enlist coalitions/stakeholder opposed to legislative/policy action
Why should HES enlist those opposed to their advocacy efforts?
- Assist with strategy & argument creation to persuade them on issue or find common ground
- Identifying opposition allows HES to listen to their point of view/their arguments against advocacy
- Ability to redirect resources
- Craft targeted persuasive messages to counter resistance
- Utilize listening sessions
- Gain opportunity to issue education on advocacy topic
- Opportunity for negotiated strategies & resource leverage
What information should HES gather when conducting a review of the literature?
- Description of health issue
- Epidemiological data
- Health consequences/costs
- Potential interventions or solutions to address health issue
What should HES do with the information they have gathered from literature review?
- Gain resources & personal stories to support collected data
- Educate decision makers (provide info without asking for action)
- Build relationship with decision makers to be able to continue providing them with credible information on health issues
What are the goals of health communication campaigns?
- Increase awareness & educate priority population about disease prevention and health promoting information, attitudes, & behavior
- Influence positive, healthy behaviors
What should HES do & include in health communication campaigns aimed at target population?
- Tailor messages to target audience’s interests
- Use variety of mass media, multi-media, & interpersonal communication channels & strategies
What should HES do to ensure funding for advocacy campaign is available?
- Analyze coalition’s commitment
- Identify gaps in funding for advocacy activities by projecting costs
- Assess current available funds
What needs to be included in a fundraising plan?
- Activities
- Strategies
- Timeline
- Evaluation
Difference between lobbying & advocacy
Lobbying - asking decision makers to pass/dismiss certain policy/piece of legislation
Advocacy - creating awareness & mobilizing communities
Grassroots Lobbying
Attempt to influence public opinion with respect to legislation or issue while encouraging policy maker to act
What point of view should health communication campaigns have?
Messages from public point of view
What are steps in creating a media campaign?
- Determining media goals & objectives
- State priority audiences for the message
- Craft message
- Evaluate message
How does media advocacy influence health policy? What does it focus on?
Focuses on advocacy issue awareness through wide information dissemination
What should HES ensure is included in clear, specific message to persuade decision makers to act?
Persuasive message strategy
What is included in persuasive message strategy?
- What is said to public & decision makers
- Messenger
- Mass media
- Target audience
- Message that grabs decision makers’ attention, address obstacles, & are culturally competent
How can HES increase likelihood of change being advocated?
- Craft messages that are simple, compelling, & supported by credible evidence
- Define health problem & provide solution
What can HES include in persuasive messages to turn research into message that is clear and easy to understand?
- Metaphors
- Personal stories
- Charts & graphs
- Integrate new information with existing knowledge/understanding
Methods to communicate persuasive messages
- Briefs
- Resolutions
- Fact sheets
Briefs
- Focuses on one topic backed by credible, evidence-based data
- Provides decision maker with description of an issue & implications of policy enactment to address issue