Spiritual_Wellness_Holistic_Health_and_the_Practic

314 Philosophical Foundations of Health Education
to the organization ’ s stance; (7) availability of resources needed for success; and
(8) organizational allies on the issue or groups which might be contacted to form
coalitions. Although the authority or process for selecting advocacy priorities may
vary by association, each group ’ s final list of priorities should be congruent with its
mission and strategic plan (Golden, 1996).
THE EVOLVING ROLE OF ADVOCACY IN HEALTH EDUCATION
Prior to the social movements affecting the latter part of [the twentieth] century, health
professional organizations in general often assumed an indirect role in policy advocacy,
such as serving as an information resource for legislators or providing expert testimony.
One of the most notable examples was in 1976, when the Society for Public
Health Education ’ s (SOPHE) president, Dr. William Griffiths, presented testimony to
the President ’ s Committee on Health Education, the Task Force on Health Education,
and the Policy Committee of the National Center for Health Education Project (Bloom,
1999). Direct lobbying for political candidates or legislation generally was viewed as
a more appropriate role for trade associations, rather than scientific professional
groups.
Social movements in the 1960s and 1970s eventually led to enactment of legislation
calling for increased direct citizen participation in the decision - making process
(Schwartz, Goodman, & Steckler, 1995). By the late 1970s, articles in SOPHE ’ s journal
Health Education Quarterly and other professional publications began to recognize
policy advocacy as a form of health promotion and called for increased participation
of health educators in the political process. Over the next decade, research in the
application of ecological approaches to health education as well as the role of health
educators in community coalitions led to further recognition of health educators ’ roles
as policy advocates. Writing about emerging roles for health education in policy advocacy
in 1987, Steckler, Dawson, Goodman, and Epstein concluded, “ As members of a
profession, health educators must actively endeavor to influence those policies that not
only determine the kind and amount of resources allocated for health education programs,
but also consider the large policy framework under which health education is
subsumed ” (Steckler & Dawson, 1982). In 1995, a theme issue of Health Education
Quarterly on “ policy advocacy interventions for health promotion and education ”
highlighted examples of successful environmental and policy interventions in cardiovascular
disease, tobacco control, physical activity, and other program areas (Schwartz,
Goodman, & Steckler, 1995).
The essential role of policy interventions in health education programs eventually
paved the way for changes in health education professional curriculum and the competencies
expected of new health education graduates. Standards for the Preparation of
Graduate - Level Health Educators enumerated numerous advocacy - related competencies
(American Association for Health Education, National Commission for Health
Education Credentialing, & Society for Public Health Education, 1999). A report commissioned
by the Health Resources and Services Administration, Health Education in