Advocacy
Asthma and Allergy Advocacy Action Center
You can help the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) advocate for the over 100 million people in the United States with asthma and allergies. An AAFA advocate is someone who stands up for people with asthma and allergies.
We need people to help us fight for:
- Fair and equal access to affordable, quality medical care; health care coverage; and medicine
- Clean and safe air for all
- Safe, healthy indoor settings in schools, child care facilities, workplaces, and communities
- Better food allergy labeling laws and regulations that protect people with food allergies
- Funding for federal agencies, policies, and programs that help people with asthma and allergies
We need help to get the word out about critical issues. Together, we can save lives.
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AAFA’s Key Policy Issues and Guiding Principles
Every day, your health care involves decisions made by you, your doctor, your family, your caregivers and by policymakers. AAFA’s patient-centered principles guide our policy and advocacy efforts on behalf of those with asthma and allergies. These principles reflect our deep commitment to evidence-based decision-making.
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AAFA’s Guiding Principles for Patient-Centered Public Policy 
AAFA supports public policies that will help people with asthma and allergies. Advocacy and public policy work are important for protecting the health and safety of those with asthma and allergies. We advocate for federal and state legislation as well as regulatory actions that will help you. We are working to make sure you have access to high quality, affordable, evidence-based care and treatments.
AAFA collaborates with our community and other stakeholders to help shape laws and regulations that affect people with asthma and allergies. We work to ensure people with asthma and allergies have high quality health care, access to treatment options, and live in healthy settings. Priority issues vary from year to year, but in general include the following key priorities:
- Access to Health Care: Promote access to affordable, quality healthcare for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of asthma and allergies
- Access to Medications: Promote access to affordable medicines, improve drug assistance programs, and ensure students have their asthma/allergy medicines at school
- Climate and Health: Support community resiliency and readiness and improve clean air standards
- Food Allergies: Implement guidelines-based care in child care settings, improve food allergen labeling, and fund food allergy research
- Healthy Settings: Improve accommodations and access to healthy settings in homes, schools, and workplaces; promote better indoor air quality
- Health Disparities: Support health equity to improve care and save lives
- Federal Funding: Continue funding for basic, clinical, preventive and health services research; promote prevention, screening, and lifestyle interventions that help people with asthma and allergies
How Can I Advocate for People With Asthma and Allergies?
Advocacy is speaking out on issues that you care about or offering your opinion and suggestions for how to improve something to the people who are in control. It is important for policymakers to hear directly from you about your experiences.
Together, we need to find ways to address the complicated questions and issues related to asthma and allergies. You can take several steps to advocate for people with allergies and asthma right now.
There are many ways you can be an advocate.
- Use our Advocacy Action Center above to send messages to your elected officials on current topics.
- Join AAFA’s Asthma and Allergy Support Community to get updates on important issues and receive our action alerts. Join the community of our food allergy division: Kids with Food Allergies (KFA).
- Raise awareness by posting about asthma and allergies on your social media accounts. You can also follow and link to the social media pages of both AAFA and KFA:
- Facebook: AAFA National, Kids with Food Allergie
- Instagram: AAFA National, Kids with Food Allergies
- LinkedIn: AAFA National
- TikTok: AAFA National, FoodAllergyToks (KFA)
- BlueSky: AAFA National, Kids with Food Allergies
- YouTube: AAFA National, Kids with Food Allergies
- Visit your state and federal representatives at their district offices.
- Call or write your governor.
- Write to the editor of your local paper about asthma and allergies.
- Start a patient, family, or caregiver group in your area.
You can also use one of our advocacy toolkits to help guide you:
Download PDFs
Modernizing Epinephrine Stocking Laws
Child Care Policies for Food Allergy: Elijah’s Law Report for U.S. States and Territories (toolkit starts on page 16)
2024 Asthma Capitals™ – Most Challenging Places to Live with Asthma(toolkit starts on page 34)
2025 State Honor Roll™ of Asthma and Allergy Policies for Schools (toolkit starts on page 22)
Who Can I Contact About Asthma and Allergy Advocacy?
Do you have advocacy-related questions or comments? Are you interested in joining AAFA to speak or testify on issues that impact our community?
Contact AAFA’s Advocacy team at aafa.org/advocacyteam
