INTRODUCTION This study assessed correlates of self-reported local health department (LHD) participation in community policy/advocacy activities that support physical activity. METHODS In 2014, cross-sectional data from the nationally representative 2013 National Profile of Local Health Departments study administered by the National Association of County and City Health Officials were analyze...

There is consensus amongst regulatory and certifying associations that the role of physician as advocate is a fundamental competency for Canadian physicians. Understanding what advocacy is and looks like in daily practice is integral to achieving this competency. Identifying barriers and exploring how we as physicians acquire the skills of advocacy are discussed. The current state of advocacy i...

e might label this instance of pleading on the part of the biblical centurion “intercessory prayer,” or we could call it “advocacy.” However, personally asking Jesus to cure someone seems different from asking Congress or a state legislature to ensure health care resources for the poor, an activity we call advocacy today. Yet there is a parallel between the two actions. Pleading for another, wh...

— International advocacy NGOs (IANGOs) are increasingly important actors in the international arena. This paper provides a comparative analysis of the cases of ten IANGOs that operate in diverse advocacy contexts, including development, environment, governance, human rights, and constituent support. It examines the patterns of governance, organizational architecture, and advocacy effectiveness ...

policy capacity focuses on the managerial and organizational abilities to inform policy decisions with sound research and analysis, and facilitate policy implementation with operational efficiency. it stems from a view of the policy process that is rational and positivistic, in which optimal policy choices can be identified, selected, and implemented with objectivity. by itself, however, policy...

In 20 years of breast cancer advocacy, I’ve witnessed major changes in attitude toward advocates on the part of basic researchers, clinical investigators, and others involved with the science of the disease. Not so long ago, even a seat at the table – much less a vote –was hard to come by. Advocate presence was met with puzzlement, if not outright resistance. How could we possibly understand th...

medical students. Many of them have never been politically active, having assumed that the arc of progress would continue uninterrupted, and so, understandably, have focused instead on a demanding training process that largely treats advocacy as extracurricular rather than as a core competency. Now, recognizing the myriad ways in which politics and policy influence the health care we deliver, m...