Advocacy strategies for health communication

Abstract This article presents a new way of using advocacy communication strategies for health communication. The traditional perspective on advocacy, promoted in mainstream public relations and marketing circles, is being replaced by a more interactive and integrated view on the role of advocacy communication. Newer theoretical and applied contributions to the health communication field support the need to explore (a) a broader understanding of the role of communication to promote and sustain health behavior; (b) a broader social scientific approach to public health as a social construct and the social determinants of health with stronger emphasis on health policies and management such as governance, accountability and leadership; and (c) policy perspectives that deal with resource allocation, human resources and capacity building, enabling environments for health communication, and recognition of the value and contribution of health communication to public health. Advocacy combines social networking and mobilization, interpersonal communication and negotiation, as well as the use of media for generating public pressure. The authors suggest that the power of supportive evidence as generated by professionals and academics must be effectively utilized through all these means in presenting a powerful case for sustainable social change.