Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework to Advance Health Equity

Advancing health equity requires strategic, evidence-informed policy action supported by coalitions of stakeholders across sectors. The Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) is considered the most beneficial model for this approach. Paul Sabatier and Hank Jenkins-Smith introduced the ACF, which underlines how groups of individuals and organizations working together within advocacy coalitions play a key role in shaping policy shifts over time (Porche, 2023). Since health equity is complex and related to widespread social inequality, the ACF helps people with different backgrounds unite and makes it easier to have the issue addressed by policymakers: Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework to Advance Health Equity.

The ACF is especially good for health equity since it recognizes that long-term policies are important for solving problems that cannot be quickly addressed. Inequality in health can be traced to factors such as people’s income, how much they know, their race, and whether they can get health care, and these must be dealt with together. The ACF believes that working together in coalitions and having uniform core beliefs can influence public policy better (Porche, 2023). Often, those involved in coalitions are healthcare professionals, public health leaders, representatives from the community, researchers, and policymakers trying to bring about change.

A key strength of the ACF is its ability to incorporate scientific evidence and technical data into policymaking. This plays an important role in promoting fairness in health care since the data helps spot disparities and analyze actions taken. As a result, coalitions can look at maps of different geographical regions to show that less-served communities have more cases of chronic disease.

This type of proof can encourage more advocacy and unite various stakeholders with different beliefs (Lee, 2025). The ACF helps build policy-oriented learning, which supports coalitions in revising their strategies when the situation changes.

The ACF is also well-suited to navigating policy windows—moments of opportunity triggered by external events such as economic crises, pandemics, or changes in political leadership. These situations can cause the public and policymakers to focus on the problem, allowing coalitions to make progress. The pandemic made clear that existing health disparities existed and prompted calls for more public health funding and reforms that consider equity. Those supporting ACF have already joined forces, using this moment to focus on new policies for health equity, for example, offering more telehealth and expanding Medicaid where it is needed (Amri & Logan, 2021).

Importantly, the ACF recognizes the multi-level nature of policymaking. The healthcare system should work toward health equity at all three levels: local, state, and federal, and the framework can support this effort. Coalitions are able to change their approach according to both the level of government and unique policy environments. It also helps different sectors cooperate, which is important for advancing equity through policies in education, housing, employment, and healthcare.

It gives the chance to include nontraditional groups such as community-based organizations, faith groups, and business leaders because they can contribute helpful ideas and resources. By being inclusive, public policy shows it is fair, remains useful, and lasts the test of time. When different people work together for one goal, the action taken by the ACF includes efforts to affect both causes of health disparities and their outcomes, making a change that remains for a longer period.

Overall, the Advocacy Coalition Framework is the strongest model for encouraging health equity via multiple approaches. The importance of forming coalitions, sharing beliefs, using evidence, responding to outside changes, and being adaptable fits the character of health equity, which works well. The ACF achieves this by bringing supporters together, considering different ideas, and ensuring sustained efforts in policy creation over time.

References

Amri, M. M., & Logan, D. (2021). Policy responses to COVID-19 present a window of opportunity for a paradigm shift in global health policy: An application of the Multiple Streams Framework as a heuristic. Global Public Health, 16(8-9), 1187–1197. https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2021.1925942

Lee, S. (2025). Advocacy coalition framework essentials. NumberAnalytics https://www.numberanalytics.com/blog/acf-essentials-public-policy

Porche, D. J. (2023). Health policy: Applications for nurses and other healthcare professionals (3rd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

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Policy Model
Policy models provide the framework for moving policy forward. However, not all policy models will be effective for all priorities. Therefore, it is important to appraise policy models with the specific advocacy priority in mind.

For this Assignment, you will choose from three policymaking frameworks, the one that best fits your advocacy priority. You will construct a written response, with evidence, explaining the selected framework, providing specific detail regarding how it is the best fit and will move the priority forward.

Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework to Advance Health Equity