Proposed Policy Advocacy Campaign

Developing an Advocacy Campaign

The proposed policy is for dealing with the public health concern of obesity focuses on promoting interactions between doctors and patients through which patients take personal responsibility for their weight problem and become active participants in addressing environmental factors. This proposed policy is based on the premise that dealing with obesity requires patients to understand and responsibility for personal dietary and exercise habits (Doroghazi, 2015). As patients take personal responsibility through empowerment by physicians, they effectively address their weight problems, which in turn contribute to better health outcomes. However, the implementation of this policy requires modification of existing laws/regulations. The existing laws or regulations would affect health advocacy efforts as several obstacles could emerge in the legislative process.
Modification of Existing Laws or Regulations
As previously mentioned, the implementation of the proposed policy would require modification of existing laws or regulations on obesity. The existing laws or regulations on obesity target four intervention settings workplaces, schools, medical care, and communities as well as social issues that act as the foundation for public health initiatives/campaigns (Dietz, Benken & Hunter, 2009). Some of the target areas in existing laws and public health strategies include physical activity, consumption of health foods including vegetables and fruits, decreased consumption of sugar-sweetened or carbonated beverages, and initiation and duration of breast-feeding. On the other hand, the social issues addressed by these regulations include lessening health disparities among the obese population, enhanced access to medical care, and suitable medical equipment.
Since these laws/regulations already address the issue of medical care and promoting healthy lifestyles, there would be no need to create new laws/regulations for the proposed policy. In this regard, the existing regulations should be modified to create a platform for enhanced interactions between physicians and patients with a view of enabling physicians to empower patients to take personal responsibility for their weight problems. The modification of existing laws/regulations will be centered on including provisions for establishment of communication channels through which doctors empower patients.
Impact of Existing Laws/Regulations on Advocacy Efforts
Since the implementation of the proposed policy would require modification of existing laws or regulations, the laws will have significant impact on advocacy efforts. Generally, health advocacy campaigns/efforts require collaboration between various stakeholders who play a crucial role in the society and healthcare. The existing laws or regulations will affect my advocacy campaigns by generating obstacles in the legislative process. The obstacles will emerge from the fact that these laws or regulations do not include critical forms of treatment or counseling despite recognizing the significance of diet and exercise in the fight against obesity. The overall focus of these laws or regulations is standard approaches towards the prevention and treatment of obesity. For instance, the Healthy Foods for Healthy Living Act focuses on providing grants to promote increased consumption of fruit and vegetables (Ferguson et al., 2009). On the other hand, the Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (IMPACT) permit states to utilize preventive health and health services block grants to promote community education programs and activities for obesity and eating disorders prevention.
These laws would generate obstacles in advocacy campaigns or efforts on the premise that they already address community empowerment towards healthy lifestyles. Actually, the proposed policy is likely to be objected by some stakeholders on claims that public education and awareness programs already exist to promote healthy lifestyles across various communities. The opposition is likely to occur despite the fact that the existing education programs do not address patient empowerment during medical care for obesity. Given the likelihood of opposition to the proposed policy, there would be additional demands in the advocacy efforts. The opposition is likely to create the need for enhanced lobbying for legislators and other policymakers to support the proposed policy, which will have significant cost implications.
Methods of Influencing Legislators and Policymakers to Support the Policy
One of the critical aspects towards the enforcement of the proposed healthcare policy to address obesity is obtaining critical support from legislators and other policymakers. This requires using the three legs of lobbying in the advocacy efforts since support from legislators and other policymakers is vital towards ensuring the implementation of proposed policies. The first step in lobbying in advocacy efforts for the proposed policy is professional lobbying, which entail enlisting physicians and other healthcare professionals to engage in lobbying efforts (Milstead, 2013). Professional lobbying is critical for this proposed policy since it directly impacts actions taken by physicians and other clinicians when dealing with patients. In this case, I will engage physicians and other clinicians in the advocacy process to call, email, or write to legislators and other policymakers on why they should support for the proposed policy. These professionals will also engage their relevant professional bodies/organizations to support the proposed policy.
The second step in the lobbying process is grassroots lobbying, which refers to constituents who work together to affect public policy (Milstead, 2013; Siedlecki, 2016). Grassroots lobbying is geared towards convincing legislators and citizens to change their perspective regarding an issue or support a policy. In this regard, I will work with healthcare professionals to plan and conduct awareness campaigns in the community. The awareness community will focus on persuading the community and its legislators to support the proposed policy. Clinicians involved in these awareness campaigns will act as educators who will enable the public to make informed decisions regarding the proposed policy.
The third step in lobbying for this proposed policy is money, which plays an important role in determining which policies are enacted (Siedlecki, 2016). Money will play a crucial role in the advocacy efforts given that the anticipated obstacles in the legislative process have significant cost implications. In this case, I will look financial support from healthcare professionals and professional organizations that support the proposed policy. The financial resources will then be channeled to the awareness campaigns and the other advocacy efforts.
Anticipated Obstacles in the Legislative Process
The proposed policy is likely to face some obstacles in the legislative process, especially because of the impact of the existing laws or regulation on the advocacy efforts. Some of these potential obstacles in the legislative process include ethical issues, opposition to the proposed policy, and lack of adequate knowledge on the role of physicians in empowering obese patients. These obstacles will be overcome through creating awareness of the issue through media, engaging clinicians and relevant professional organizations in lobbying efforts, and ensuring that provisions in the proposed policy are based on ethical principles and standards.
In conclusion, advocacy efforts for a new healthcare policy require consideration of several factors that could affect its enactment. The proposed policy to address obesity requires modification of existing laws or regulations, which could affect advocacy efforts through generating obstacles in the legislative process. A critical step towards the enactment of this proposed policy is following the three stages in lobbying during advocacy.
References
Dietz, W.H., Benken, D.E. & Hunter, A.S. (2009, March). Public Health Law and the Prevention and Control of Obesity. The Milbank Quarterly – A Multidisciplinary Journal of Population Health and Health Policy, 87(1), 215-227.
Doroghazi, R. (2015). A Candid Discussion of Obesity. The American Journal of 
Medicine, 128(3), 213-214.
Ferguson et al. (2009, June 1). Review of Obesity Related Legislation & Federal Programs. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from http://stopobesityalliance.org/wp-content/assets/2009/06/federal_cover.pdf
Milstead, J.A. (Ed.). (2013). Health policy and politics: A nurse's guide. (Laureate Education, Inc., custom Ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Siedlecki, C.R. (2016, August 10). Political Influence: Why and How Healthcare Leaders Must Get Involved. Retrieved October 11, 2017, from http://www.mgma.com/Libraries/Site-Images/Education%20Certification/Fellows/2015/Political-Influence-Why-and-How-Healthcare-Leaders-Must-Get-Involved.pdf?ext=.pdf