Advocacy for health: revisiting the role of health promotion

Issue addressed The importance of advocacy in protecting the population's health; and suggested strategies to advance an advocacy role. Discussion This article explores the concept of health advocacy, discusses an example of successful health advocacy within Australia, and outlines and addresses some of the barriers to advocacy. It aims to encourage discussion on advocacy's potential to improve the public's health. Conclusions Many of the major successes of health promotion have been facilitated through the efforts of advocates. This article supports the proposition that advocacy is a fundamental instrument of health promotion practice and suggests strategies to apply these principles in practice. So what? All professionals working in the health promotion field need to contribute in some way to advocating for healthier structural, political and social environments for all. Many health practitioners appreciate the need for advocacy but do not have the requisite skills, have doubts about their capacity to undertake it, or believe their employer would not support their efforts. Thus, it is important to contribute to a dialogue about advocacy skills and their application in advancing health promotion practice.