Advocacy has become an effective way of solving health problems. Although not universally accepted, it has become more common within the health sector. Critics of advocacy have termed it an uncivilized manner of seeking attention. They have said that community activism does not solve anything and that the right way is to go through relevant public health representation bodies for answers. Advocacy is a crucial strategy for the achievement of health reforms and health equality (WHO, 2015). Advocacy has realized that certain powers might not be with the people; therefore, some structures within concerned authorities need to be addressed (Bassett,2013). Over the years, there have been social movements that have focused on reforms in public health. The Labour social movement focused on the health of pregnant mothers and the mortality rate. The Sanitary Reform Movement was another social movement that focused on the provision of public washrooms and general cleanliness. The Public Water Supply movement concentrated on providing clean water to the public, and the Public Housing Movement is a social movement that focused on building proper houses for the people. Lastly, is the Children's Health Movement paid attention to child labor laws and the health of pregnant mothers. Advocacy can be either upstream or downstream. In public health, upstream advocacy is when people push for leaders to solve issues (Winkleby, 2014). Downstream advocacy is when people find solutions within themselves. An example of downstream advocacy is people addressing personal health issues. Many people associate health problems with personal health rather than social structures; hence feel the need to focus on downstream advocacy.
Downstream advocacy can address health issues by educating people and social marketing. Another way of addressing the problems is by openly stating the potential harm that the public might face due to unsolved health issues. This factor causes a change in the behavior of people. Upstream advocacy can solve public health issues through litigation, regulation, and legislation. Some upstream policies that can help reduce advocacy in public health include; increased wages, removal of classism, and safe disposal of industrial effluents. Public health advocacy is affected by several things. The attitude of health workers towards advocacy is one factor. It is established that inequality in health is due to inadequate organizational structures; however, some health workers may not be vocal about it because of their attitude toward advocacy. Secondly, public advocacy is determined by the social and cultural values of the community (Hodkinson, 2016). People will consult with their inner consciousness before participating in social movements (Perrone-Bertolotti, 2014). Another factor that affects advocacy is the fact that some countries have signed bills that ban all forms of protests. Therefore, before people stage social movements, they have to think about the consequences it. Black lives matter and other non-violent civil protests play a pivotal role in bringing health changes to the public. The leaders of the civil rights movement educate the masses on how racial inequalities have led to the poor health of black people. Healthcare workers have joined the BLM matches to show support to the community too. They have come out to speak about the needs of their patients. They have claimed that their work is not just limited to the confines of the hospitals. The health workers have extended their treatment to the streets. They are providing psychological therapy to black people who are anxious and angry in the face of racial injustices. In the podcast, Sharhonda can be heard saying that she decided to show up and join other people. She says that now, people are readily available to help in the right course should anybody need help or support in trying to get a message across.
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References
Basett, Mary, T. (2013). Does public health advocacy seek to redress health inequities? A scoping review. Health & social care in the community, 25 (2), 309-328.
Curran, N., Ned, J., & Winkleby, M. (2014). Engaging students in community health: A public health advocacy curriculum. Health Promotion Practice, 15 (2), 271-280.
Hodkinson, P. (2016). Media, culture, and society: An introduction. Sage.
Perrone-Bertolotti, M. (2014). What is that little voice inside my head? Inner speech phenomenology, its role in cognitive performance, and its relation to self-monitoring. Behavioral brain research, 261, 220-239.
Winkleby, M. (2014). Engaging students in community health: A public health advocacy curriculum. Health Promotion Practice, 15 (2), 271-280.
World Health Organization. (2015). WHO global strategy on people-centered and integrated health services: interim report (No. WHO/HIS/SDS/2015.6). World Health Organization.
