The importance of nursing advocacy for the health promotion of female welfare recipients

Health promotion is a fundamental focus of nursing practice and research. Nurses, particularly community and public health nurses, recognize that promoting wellness and healthy lifestyles are key to eliminating the unequal burden of disease experienced by poor and other underserved populations. This position article argues that nurses must take an active leadership role, using a health advocacy approach to health promotion, to improve the health status of populations like Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) recipients moving from welfare to work. Health promotion activities traditionally involve assessment of individuals, families and communities and planning, implementing, and evaluating intervention programs. Using a health advocacy approach to health promotion requires that nurses identify both individual and contextual health risk factors (ie, unemployment, poverty, homelessness, violence, illiteracy, and other sociopolitical factors) that hinder the capacity of underserved populations to engage in health-promoting activities.