HEALTH IN ALL POLICIES
Health in All Policies (HIAP) is a collaborative approach toward improving community health by considering a broad range of policies related to environments where people live, learn, work, and play.
Public policies can dramatically shape the social, economic, and physical environment of the community. The environments in which people live have a direct impact on the population’s health. For example, accessibility to healthy food, employment, resources for childcare and education, and safe walkways can play a significant role in the health of the community.
There are many opportunities for the application of a Health in All Policies approach:
- City planning/redevelopment policies can impact the location/density of grocery stores or fast food outlets
- Transportation agencies can play a role in decisions that impact neighborhood walkability
- City and county planning policies or decisions regarding street lights can protect the safety of residents
- School policies can institutionalize the quality and sourcing of school lunch programs
“People cannot be healthy if their communities are ailing – if the air and water are
fouled, if nutritious food is not available or affordable, if crime rates and fears of violence
keep residents indoors, if sidewalks and parks do not exist or are too deteriorated for
walking and playing. People cannot be healthy if the opportunities critical for their well-
being – education, jobs, good schools, safe and well maintained housing – remain elusive.”
- Why Place and Race Matter / Policy Link
Incorporate HEALTH IN ALL POLICIES in your work:
- Consider the potential health impacts of policy options and choose to create, adopt and/or implement policies that improve individual and community health.
- Increase the political power of those experiencing the greatest health inequities. Invite vulnerable populations to engage in the decision-making process.
- Support a movement that engages the whole community to advocate and change the health environments where they live, learn, work and play.
- Institutionalize the use of health criteria when making policy or planning decisions.
- Encourage and direct key staff to access available resources aimed at applying Health in All Policies.
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