title: A Public Policy Advocacy Project to Promote Food Security: Exploring Stakeholders' Experiences.
abstract: To achieve food security in Canada, comprehensive approaches are required, which involve action at the public policy level. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 14 stakeholders engaging in a 9-month participatory public policy advocacy project to promote community food security in the province of Alberta through the initiation of a campaign to develop a Universal School Food Strategy. Through this exploration, four main themes were identified; a positive and open space to contribute ideas, diversity and common ground, confidence and capacity, and uncertainty. Findings from this study suggest that the participatory advocacy project provided a positive and open space for stakeholders to contribute ideas, through which the group was able to narrow its focus and establish a goal for advocacy. The project also seems to have contributed to the group's confidence and capacity to engage in advocacy by creating a space for learning and knowledge sharing, though stakeholders expressed uncertainty regarding some aspects of the project. Findings from this study support the use of participatory approaches as a strategy for facilitating engagement in public policy advocacy and provide insight into one group's advocacy experience, which may help to inform community-based researchers and advocates in the development of advocacy initiatives to promote community food security elsewhere.
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Kayla M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Atkey
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada kim.raine@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Kim D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Raine
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Kate E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Storey
authors.affiliation: University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Noreen D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Willows
mesh_terms: D000416:Alberta; D057191:Capacity Building; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D003254:Consumer Advocacy; D005523:Food Supply; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D011640:Public Policy; D036301:Qualitative Research; D020377:Self Efficacy; D000068356:Self-Control
keywords: advocacy; chronic disease; health promotion; nutrition