Advocacy and the paediatrician

Paediatricians are faced with a growing number of so-called ‘wicked’ problems such as obesity, pedestrian accidents, emotional and behavioural problems, child abuse, air pollution and climate change. The determinants of the majority of these problems are related to deep-seated difficulties in society which require an advocacy approach to tackle them. This short review discusses the meaning of advocacy giving examples of advocacy offered by paediatricians and child health professionals in the past and describing the underpinning principles of advocacy in particular the role of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. This review highlights the role of paediatric associations with examples of advocacy which include the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. The requirements of successful advocacy are discussed and proposals on how to include advocacy in paediatric training are presented, from both the USA and UK. It makes the case that advocacy is possible and necessary but requires a commitment by paediatric leaders to ensure that all paediatric training includes both the application of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the practical tactics of advocacy for better child health.