Power Prism framework for health advocacy: A case of dietary supplements for weight loss and muscle building sold to youth in Massachusetts municipalities
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Kuanysh A Yergaliyev 1 2 * , Lori Fresina 3 , Akerke Ayaganova 4 , S Bryn Austin 2 5
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1 School of Medicine, Nazarbayev University, Astana, KAZAKHSTAN2 Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, MA, USA3 Voices for Healthy Kids, American Heart Association, Washington, DC, USA4 Zhubanov University, Aktobe, KAZAKHSTAN5 Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA* Corresponding Author

Abstract

This study applied the Power Prism advocacy framework as a strategy design tool to inform an 18-month case study conducted in four Massachusetts municipalities (USA). The case study addressed the weak regulation and easy access to potentially dangerous weight-loss and muscle-building dietary supplements for youth in Massachusetts municipalities. The Power Prism advocacy framework is made up of six “power tools”: research and data collection, coalition building and maintenance, fundraising and development, grassroots advocates and key contacts, media advocacy, and decision-maker advocacy. Based on the case study, a municipality-targeted advocacy strategy was developed for Harvard University’s strategic training initiative for the prevention of eating disorders to support their efforts to persuade policymakers to strengthen regulation of weight-loss and muscle-building supplements sold to youth. The detailed application of the framework provides a replicable and innovative model for other public health initiatives seeking to promote policy changes at different levels of government.

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This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article Type: Case Report

ELECTRON J GEN MED, Volume 22, Issue 4, August 2025, Article No: em662

https://doi.org/10.29333/ejgm/16371

Publication date: 01 Jul 2025

Online publication date: 14 May 2025

Article Views: 59

Article Downloads: 43

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