Using the media to promote public health is an innovative and valuable approach. Media Advocacy and Public Health develops the concept of media advocacy as a central strategy for the prevention of public health problems. How we think about health problems, and what we do about them, is largely determined by how they are reported on television, radio, and in the newspaper. Often, crucial issues of public health policy are discussed and decided only after they are made visible by the media. A traditional communication strategy like social marketing focuses on giving people a message. Media advocacy gives people a voice. The first book of its kind, Media Advocacy and Public Health lays out the theoretical framework and practical guidelines to successful media advocacy strategies. Eight case studies, ranging from alcohol to AIDS, vividly illustrate how media advocacy has been successfully applied.

The work explores the field of public health advocacy from the twin perspectives of the sociology of news production and public health activism. The second section offers an A-Z of strategies for gaining media attention, with many entries illustrated by case histories. Covering theory and practice, the guide is intended for public health and community medicine workers, community health action groups, and students of mass communication, media studies or public health.

"This book on advocacy provides both data and stories to illustrate the effectiveness of public health practitioners engaging directly in making public health policy. Practitioners will learn how to develop and utilize advocacy skills to translate public health knowledge and science into appropriate protective public policy"--

If you think it's time for a change, then News for a Change is the book for you."--BOOK JACKET.

This book evolved from a recent national conference that was convened to explore how the mass media could become a more potent weapon to improve public health. The conference sought to achieve several goals: increasing understanding of mass communication influences on health issues and problems, exploring shared responsibilities among media and public health professionals, designing strategies for influencing policymakers and gatekeepers in each field, and setting priorities for future initiatives and research.

Public Health Policy: Issues, Theories, and Advocacyoffers students an engaging and innovative introduction to publichealth policy: its purpose, how it is originated, and how it isimplemented. The book describes the underlying theories andframeworks as well as practical analytical tools needed foreffective advocacy and communication. Drawing on themultidisciplinary nature of public health, the book uses conceptsand examples from epidemiology, law, economics, political science,and ethics to examine the policymaking process, explain positionspro or con, and develop materials for various audiences to furthera public health policy intervention. In addition, Public HealthPolicy shows how policymaking is a complex and integratedtop-down and bottoms-up process that embraces a myriad of publicand private stakeholders. Written by a highly experienced health policy researcher andteacher, the book is rich in resources that will enhance teachingand learning. Each chapter begins with an overview of the chapter,including core terms and concepts, and includes illustrativeexamples of how the highlighted component (law, ethics, economics,politics, epidemiology, and medicine) intersects with publichealth. Discussion questions at the end of every chapter, alongwith an interview from an expert from each of the component fields,give real-world perspectives on how that particular subject relatesto the overall topic. The book also contains 13 case studies thatillustrate the framework discussed in the first part of the book,and show how the different components link to create, sustain,evaluate, or obstruct the development of public health policy. Alsoincluded are primers on two essential policy tools: how to writeresearch policy briefs, and how to craft effective letters to aneditor, including examples of both drawn from the author'spublications in journals and newspapers.

This concise volume guides public health advocates on how to successfully advocate for their cause, strengthen their messaging and communication strategies, build coalitions, and gather political allies. In the book, the author shares lessons learned from an exploratory study in which key legislators from the Massachusetts General Court (legislature) were interviewed to determine their level of awareness and knowledge regarding health disparities. Racial and ethnic disparities in health are a major concern for citizens, states, and the nation and are important to study and understand to strategically address and eliminate such inequities. Through these lessons, public health advocates gain an understanding of whether and how factors affect knowledge and awareness of health disparities and learn to communicate more effectively with legislators, key stakeholders, and other decision-makers. The brief also features “Notes from the Field" from those working in the "trenches" that highlight different perspectives on health disparities and provide first-hand advice for advocates hoping to close the disparities gaps and create a more equitable nation for all. Successful Public Health Advocacy is a relevant resource for advocates, as well as students, in public health, public policy, and related fields who wish to gain a better understanding on how legislators gather their health information for policy-making or constituent work and apply this data to develop and implement effective public health advocacy campaigns.