PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING ADVOCACY

1. PUBLIC HEALTH
ADVOCACY
BY
A.D CHUNGU (BSc NRs/ROTN/RN)
ZETED
11/3/2022 ADC 1

2. ADC 2
Introduction
 The word “advocate” originally stems from
the Greek word “advokar”, meaning ‘one
who pleads on behalf of the other.
 Advocacy involves the active support of an
idea or cause expressed through
strategies and methods that influence the
opinions and decisions of people and
organisations.
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3. ADC 3
Introduction
 The aims of advocacy are to create or
change policies, laws, regulations,
distribution of resources or other
decisions that affect people’s lives and to
ensure that such decisions lead to
implementation.
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4. ADC 4
Introduction
 Although individual health advocacy
for patients and clients can be
practiced, it should be stressed that
public health advocacy is undertaken
to enhance the health of the
community through improved health
policies and programs.
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5. ADC 5
Introduction
 Advocacy is generally directed at policy
makers including politicians, government
officials and public servants, but also private
sector leaders whose decisions impact upon
peoples lives, as well as those whose
opinions and actions influence policy makers,
such as journalists and the media,
development agencies and large NGOs.
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6. ADC 6
General objective
 At the end of this lecture/ discussion,
students should be able to acquire
knowledge on advocacy in relation to
public health
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7. ADC 7
Specific objectives
At the end of this lecture/ discussion,
students should be able to:
 Define advocacy and public health
advocacy
 Explain the principles of advocacy
 Explain the models of advocacy
 State public health advocacy competencies
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8. ADC 8
Definitions
Advocacy
 An action directed at changing the policies,
positions or programme of any type of
institution.
 Pleading for, defending orrecommending
an idea before other people
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9.  Speaking up and directing decision makers
towards a solution.
 Speaking, pleading or interceding for
someone else. (concise oxford
dictionary (Eleventh Edition)
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10. ADC 10
Definitions
Public heath advocacy
 Public heath advocacy refers to educating,
organizing and mobilizing systems change
in population health.
 Public health advocacy is also defined as the
process of gaining political commitment for
a particular goal or program.
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11. • An action directed at changing the policies,
positions or programme affecting the
health of the population.
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12. ADC 12
Principles of Public Health
Advocacy
Confidentiality
 Have a written confidentiality policy and
make sure you take proper care of
information entrusted to you unless where
you have been permitted.
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13. • Diligence and competence
 Carry out the instructions with diligence
and competence (thoroughly, well and
efficiently).
 This implies that the care giver should
uphold standard of practice which is of
quality through out.
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14. ADC 14
Principles of the Advocacy
Act in the best interest of the client
 Anything being advocated for should not
benefit the health care provider directly but
the client/ community.
Act in accordance with the client’s wishes
and instructions
 Do not go beyond the client’s wishes, follow
the client’s instructions
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15. Keep the client well informed
•Client should always be updated by way of
providing feedback on how the process
is progressing, this assist clients to
make informed decisions.
Act impartially
 Offer frank independent advise to clients.
 This encourages fairness of health care
givers and respect to all clients as she/ he
interacts with them.
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16. ADC 16
Importance of advocacy
 Protects the health and safety of the patients.
 Used for protection of the rights of the
patients.
 Empower patients and community and ensure
that the basic resources and conditions
necessary for health care are accessible to
all.
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17.  Help bring people together towards
improvement in treatment and care.
 Fosters participation in the service.
 May influence policy decisions.
 Seeks to ensure that people, particularly
those who are most vulnerable in society,
are able to have their voice heard on issues
that are important to them.
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18. Models of advocacy
Self advocacy
 Individuals represent and speak up for
themselves or on their own behalf.
Peer advocacy
 The advocate and the person have a common
background, for example, they may have
shared experience of service provision,
“experts by experience.
MCK 2020 14
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19. • Volunteer Citizen advocacy
 Volunteer Citizen advocacy involves
volunteers (unpaid) who are recruited,
trained and matched with an individual,
the volunteer represents the views of the
person.
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20. ADC 20
Models of advocacy
Professional advocacy
 Use of experts in professional field such as
lawyers.
 The advocate provides support, information
and representation.
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21. • Non-instructed advocacy
 Advocacy can be provided to those who
are, for reasons of capacity, unable to
personally instruct their advocate.
 This may be because of the person’s
limitations in grasping concepts or
because they are not able to make others
understand their wishes because of
significant communication barriers.
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22. ADC 22
Models of advocacy
Crisis advocacy
 Helping with a one-off difficult
situation or crisis.
Collective advocacy
 A group of people campaign on
behalf of themselves or others to
try and change things.
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23. Public health advocacy
competencies
• Core competencies are the essential
knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary
for the practice of public health.
• They transcend the boundaries of specific
disciplines and are independent of program
and topic. They provide the building blocks
for effective public health practice, and the
use of an overall public health approach.
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 The core competencies for public health professionals
are organized in eight domains.
 These domains reflect
health.
 The eight domains are;
skill areas within public
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Analytical/Assessment Skills
This category describes the core competencies
needed to collect, assess, analyze and apply
information (including data, facts, concepts and
theories). These competencies are required to
make evidence-based decisions, prepare
budgets and reports, conduct investigations and
make recommendations for policy and program
development.
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26. • Analytical/Assessment Skills focus on
identifying and understanding data,
turning data into information for action,
assessing needs and assets to address
community health needs, developing
community health assessments, and using
evidence for decision making.

27. ADC 27
Policy Development/Program
Planning Skills
This category describes the core competencies
needed to effectively choose options, and to
plan, implement and evaluate policies and/or
programs in public health. This includes the
management of incidents such as outbreaks
and emergencies.
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28.  Policy Development/Program
Planning Skills focus on
determining needed policies and
programs;
Advocating for policies and
programs (planning, implementing, and
evaluating policies and programs).

29. developing and implementing
strategies for continuous quality
improvement.
and developing and implementing
community health improvement plans and
strategic plans.
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30. ADC 30
Communication Skills
Communication Skills focus on
assessing and addressing
population literacy;
communicating data and
information;
facilitating communications;
communicating the roles of
government, health care, and
others.
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31. ADC 31
Cultural competency skills
 Cultural Competency Skills focus on understanding
needs, assessing
organizational cultural
and responding to diverse
diversity and competence,
assessing effects of policies and programs on
different populations, and taking action to support a
diverse public health workforce.
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32. ADC 32
Community dimensions of practice skills
Community Dimensions of Practice Skills focus
on evaluating and developing linkages and
relationships within the community, maintaining
and advancing partnerships and community
involvement, negotiating for use of community
assets, defending public health policies and
programs, and evaluating effectiveness and
improving community engagement.
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33. ADC 33
Public Health Sciences Skills
This category includes key knowledge and
critical thinking skills related to the public
health sciences: behavioral and social
sciences, biostatistics, epidemiology,
environmental public health, demography,
workplace health, and the prevention of
chronic diseases, infectious diseases,
psychosocial problems and injuries..
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34. • Competency in this category requires the ability
to apply knowledge in practice.
 Public Health Sciences Skills focus on
understanding the foundation and prominent
events of public health, applying public sciences
to practice, critiquing and developing research,
using evidence when developing policies and
programs, and establishing academic
partnerships

35. ADC 35
Financial Planning and Management Skills
 Financial Planning and Management Skills
focus on engaging other government
agencies that can address community health
needs, leveraging public health and health
care funding mechanisms, developing and
defending budgets,
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36. • motivating personnel, evaluating and
improving program and organization
performance, and establishing and using
performance management systems to
improve organization performance
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37. Leadership and systems thinking Skills
 Leadership and Systems Thinking
Skills focus on incorporating
ethical standards into the
organization;
Creating opportunities for
collaboration among public health,
health care, and other
organizations; mentoring
personnel;
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38. Adjusting practice to address changing
needs and environment;
Ensuring continuous quality improvement;
managing organizational change.
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39. MCK 2020 39
Steps in the advocacy process
 Problem (issue) that requires a
policy action.
 Goal, a statement of a general result
you want or a vision.
 Objective, an incremental step
towards achieving the a goal.
 Target audience
 Massage development

40.  Channels of communications
 Building support
 Fundraising
 Implementation
 Data collection- gathering, analysing and
using appropriate
• data to support each step
 Monitoring and evaluation

41. MCK 2020 41
Elements of advocacy
 Form the basic building blocks for
effective advocacy.
 Not all elements can be used at the
time or at once but only the useful
and appropriate ones at a particular
time.

42. MCK 2020 42
Elements of advocacy
Selecting an advocacy objective
 Examine the complexity of the problem.
 Determine whether theobjective will
address the problem.
 Determine whether the objective is
achievable

43. • Using data and research in advocacy
 Data and research is essential when
choosing a problem to work on,
identifying solutions to the problem,
setting realistic goals and supporting your
argument.

44. MCK 2020 44
Elements of advocacy
Identifying advocacy audiences
 Once issues and goals are selected;
o Advocacy efforts must be directed to people with
decision making powers who influence the decision
makers e.g. staff, advisors, influential leaders, media
and the public.
o Know the names of the decision makers who can
make your goal a reality.
o Establish what influences these decision makers.

45. MCK 2020 45
Elements of advocacy
Developing and delivering advocacy
 Different audiences respond to
different massages.
 Establish what massage will get the
selected audience to act on your behalf.
 Ensure that the massage developed is of
great interest to the selected audience.

46. MCK 2020 46
Elements of advocacy
Building Coalition
 Power of advocacy is found in the
number of people who support your
advocacy goal esp if large numbers of
people representing diverse interests
are involved.
 Large numbers of people who support
your goal help to provide safety for
advocacy and build political support.

47.  Within organisation, internal coalition
building by e.g. involving people from
different departments in developing new
programme helps to building consensus
on the action.
 It is important to find out who else can
invite to join your cause and who can be
reliable

48. MCK 2020 48
Elements of advocacy
Making persuasive presentations
 Opportunities to influence key audiences
are often limited.
 Careful and thorough preparation of
convincing arguments and presentation
style can turn these brief opportunities into
successful advocacy.

49. • Fundraising for advocacy
 Advocacy like most activity resources.
 Investing time and energy in raising funds
or other resources to support your work
will sustain an effective advocacy effort
over a long time.
 Its important to plan how to mobilise the
needed resources for your advocacy.

50. MCK 2020 50
Elements of advocacy
Evaluating advocacy efforts
 Evaluating your advocacy efforts will enable
you to know if you have succeeded in reaching
your advocacy goals or not.
 An evaluation will reveal how you can improve
your advocacy strategies.
 Continuous feedback and evaluation of your
efforts is important for effective advocacy.

51. MCK 2020 51
Qualities of an advocator
 Good communicator/ good
communication skills
 Good listener
 Knowledgeable
 Good judgement

52.  Accommodating
 Approachable
 Empathetic
 Patience
 Passionate
 Being Diplomatic
 Accountable
 Acting peacefully
 Ensuring legitimacy
 Respectful
 Trust worth
 Understanding
 Broad cultured
 Friendliness