Advocacy Tool in Intersectoral Collaboration for Health: Modifying Consumption Pattern of Palm Oil in Islamic Republic of Iran

authors:

avatar Abbas Vosoogh Moghaddam 1 , avatar Shiva Mafimoradi 1 , * , avatar Narges Rostamigooran 1

Secretariat of Supreme Council for Health and Food Security, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran, Iran
Shiraz E-Medical Journal: Vol.18, issue Suppl; e58652
published online: July 31, 2017
article type: Abstract
received: July 26, 2017
accepted: November 27, 2016
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5812/semj.58652

how to cite: Vosoogh Moghaddam A, Mafimoradi S, Rostamigooran N. Advocacy Tool in Intersectoral Collaboration for Health: Modifying Consumption Pattern of Palm Oil in Islamic Republic of Iran. Shiraz E-Med J. 2017;18(Suppl):e58652. https://doi.org/10.5812/semj.58652.

Abstract

Fulltext

Background: The health is known today as the co-product of all development areas and the intersectoral collaboration is the most important strategy to achieve it.  Advocacy is one of the key tools for establishing stewardship, attracting stakeholders’ cooperation and developing intersectoral collaboration in each health system. Advocacy for health has been considered in common agenda of all sectors as one of four areas of action in order to promoting healthy public policies in Adelaide statement (1988). In this study the necessity of intersectoral collaboration for health in general, the importance of advocacy as a strategic tool for making collaborative activities in the case of reduction in palm oil consumption and its techniques used by the secretariat of supreme council for health and food security in Iran will be discussed.

Methods: Qualitative method including literatures review and focus group discussion with experts and key informants in the field was used to describe and analysis of the policy of modifying consumption pattern of palm oil in Iran.

Results: Looking back at the intersectoral collaboration structures for health in Iran indicated that there had been potential capacities for applying advocacy tools and techniques for health effectively. They include evidence generation, making advocacy coalition, using social medias, monitoring policy implementations, making policy dialogues and establishing advocacy campaigns. In the case of palm oil consumption modification, the use of evidence generation in the form of policy briefs, forming advocacy coalition and entering through the social media agenda by the secretariat of supreme council for health and food security resulted in the approval of the policy of reduction of palm oil portion by 10 % out of all imported oil in market regulation and promotion in the council.

Conclusions: Advocacy tool for addressing public health problems specifically those which are not be solved by the health sector alone are mainly required to promote intersectoral collaboration and achieving health as the co-product of all development areas.

References

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