The role of advocacy in promoting health

Strengthening advocacy for social and economic policy that promotes the health and well-being of populations and that ensures a sustainable environment are major challenges for health promotion in the 21st century. Although advocacy is known as a powerful strategy for promoting health there has been much less success in using advocacy to reduce inequalities in health--to influence the policies and practices of governments private sector and nongovernmental organizations to create conditions for health. This concern with inequality is shared by many sectors other than health but it has proven difficult to form and maintain the partnerships needed to work together to advocate for goals and decisions that promote and protect the health and well-being of populations. However such partnerships are being developed by certain international agencies and the essentially political nature of health promotion and public health has been obscured by an emphasis on gathering evidence. It is noted that the quest for evidence is and will remain a vital thread of health promotion activity.