What do legislative staff think about public health issues?

Lack of information about how policy makers and their staffs view public health issues and potential policy solutions hinders effective advocacy efforts to pass health-promoting laws. The purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of current communication and advocacy strategies to influence lawmakers and determine how those strategies can be improved. The staff responsible for health policy in each Oregon legislative office (60 House and 30 Senate) will be recruited to participate in the study prior to the end of the current legislative session. Survey interviews will be conducted by telephone in July-August. In a similar survey conducted in 2011, staff in 64% of the legislative offices completed surveys. Survey results from 2013 will be presented and compared to results from the 2011 survey. In the 2011 survey, virtually all respondents regarded tobacco and obesity prevention as important. Rather, divisions about public health policies more likely stem from a more even split of placing responsibility on individual choice versus community responsibility to create healthy environments. The farm-to-school bill's success was attributed to its benefit to children's nutrition as well as to economic development, suggesting that messaging strategies that combine health and economic benefits are effective. Advocates may gain advantages by partnering with respected national organizations, as respondents generally were more aware of national public health organizations than local organizations and gave them more favorable ratings. Legislative staff receive much information from the general news media, so advocates should find ways to leverage these communication opportunities.