A Model of Advocacy to Inform Action.

Area of Science:

• Public Health and Health Policy
• Health Professional Education
• Social Determinants of Health

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the link between social conditions and health, revealing limitations of solely biomedical approaches.
• A practical framework is lacking for health professionals to develop and implement advocacy competencies effectively.
• Existing efforts in health advocacy are hindered by the absence of structured guidance for training and activity planning.

Discussion:

• The proposed framework defines advocacy across three domains: practice, community, and government.
• It categorizes advocacy skills into policy, communication, and relationship-building.
• Successful application of these skills within domains leads to individual, adjacent, or structural change.

Key Insights:

• Advocacy competencies can be systematically developed and applied by health professionals.
• The framework provides a clear structure for planning and executing health advocacy initiatives.
• It bridges the gap between biomedical interventions and addressing social determinants of health.

Outlook:

• This framework is adaptable for diverse health professionals, educators, researchers, and organizations.
• It offers a scalable model for enhancing collective efforts to improve population health and well-being.
• Future applications may involve curriculum development and policy analysis for health equity.