**Published in Progress in Community Health Partnerships (PCHP) volume 16.2. All rights reserved.**
Abstract
Background: Community-based public health advocacy efforts are crucial to sustaining the low-cost/free breast cancer services that support underserved populations.
Objectives: We introduce two ways in which narrative theory may be a useful tool for developing advocacy materials and provide an example, using a community-academic partnership to promote Latina breast health in Chicago, Illinois.
Methods: Community and academic partners: 1) engaged 25 Spanish-speaking Latinas in an advocacy workshop; 2) leveraged narrative theory to develop multi-media advocacy materials; and 3) disseminated materials to policymakers.
Lessons Learned: Our project highlights: 1) that narrative theory may be useful to describe how Latinas engage policymakers in relation to their needs and cultural norms; 2) the importance of flexibility and offering community members multiple options to engage policymakers; and 3) the importance of leveraging partners' complementary strengths.
Conclusions: Narrative theory may be a useful tool for developing advocacy materials in community-academic partnerships.