Health in All Policies: Seizing Opportunities, Implementing Policies

“With its emphasis on practical, workable solutions in a range of settings for a range of problems, this publication gives us that long-needed how-to guide. It should do much to convince policy makers that including health in all policies is a smart - and feasible - policy choice.” – Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization

Public policies at all levels have health impacts which need to be accounted for. By emphasizing that public policies across all sectors have impacts on people’s health, the Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach aims to improve the accountability of policy makers for health impacts at all levels of policy making. The HiAP approach to public policies takes into account the health and health-system implications of decisions across sectors by seeking synergies, and avoiding harmful health impacts, for better population health and health equity.

But incorporating health considerations into policies across all sectors is challenging and, even when decisions are made, implementation may be only partial or unsustainable. This volume helps improve our understanding of the dynamics of HiAP at the levels of policy making and policy implementation.

Drawing on experiences from all regions and from countries at different levels of economic development, the volume demonstrates that HiAP is feasible in different contexts. It provides fresh insight into how to implement policies for health across sectors.

• Part I sets the scene with five chapters on the concept and history of HiAP, links between socioeconomic development and health, the social determinants of health, and the importance of preserving national policy space for health in a globalizing world.
• Part II assesses progress in eight policy areas, including early childhood development, work and health, mental health promotion, agriculture, food and nutrition, tobacco, alcohol, environment and development assistance.
• Part III draws together lessons for the health sector, as well as for politicians, policy makers, researchers, and civil society advocates.

Contents
Foreword by the Prime Minister of Finland, Jyrki Katainen
Foreword by the Director-General of WHO, Margaret Chan
Part I
1: Introduction to Health in All Policies and the analytical framework of the book; Eeva Ollila, Fran Baum, Sebastián Peña
2: History of HiAP; Fran Baum, Eeva Ollila, Sebastián Peña
3: Health and development: challenges and pathways to HiAP in low-income countries; Sarah Cook, Shufang Zhang, Ilcheong Yi
4: Prioritizing health equity; Michael Marmot, Jessica Allen
5: Globalization and national policy space for health and a HiAP approach; Meri Koivusalo, Ronald Labonte, Suwit Wibulpolprasert, Churnrurtai Kanchanachitra
Part II
6: Promoting equity from the start through early child development and Health in All Policies (ECD-HiAP); Raúl Mercer, Clyde Hertzman, Helia Molina, Ziba Vaghri
7: Work, health and employment; Jorma Rantanen, Joan Benach, Carles Muntaner, Tsuyoshi Kawakami, Rokho Kim
8: Promoting mental health: a crucial component of all public policy; Rachel Jenkins, Alberto Minoletti
9: Agriculture, food and nutrition; Stuart Gillespie, Florence Egal, Martina Park
10: Tobacco or health; Douglas Bettcher, Vera Luiza da Costa e Silva
11: Alcohol; Peter Anderson, Sally Casswell, Charles Parry, Jürgen Rehm
12: Lessons from environment and health for HiAP; Carlos Dora, Michaela Pfeiffer, Francesca Racioppi
13: Making development assistance for health more effective through HiAP; Ravi Ram
Part III
14: The health sector’s role in HiAP; Kimmo Leppo, Viroj Tangcharoensathien
15: Lessons for policy-makers; Kimmo Leppo, Eeva Ollila, Sebastián Peña, Matthias Wismar, Sarah Cook

Health in All Policies: Seizing Opportunities, Implementing Policies is published by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland, in collaboration with the National Institute for Health and Welfare of Finland (THL), the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). For more information, visit www.hiap2013.com.

To download the volume, please use the link at the top right of this page.

The volume is a Finnish contribution to the 8th Global Conference on Health Promotion, co-hosted by the World Health Organization and Ministry of Social Affairs and Health of Finland (Helsinki, 10-14 June 2013).

In addition to serving on the editorial and advisory committees, UNRISD Director Sarah Cook together with Shufang Zhang, Project Coordinator, and Ilcheong Yi, Research Coordinator, contributed chapter 3, "Health and development: Challenges and pathways to HiAP in low-income countries".

The Russian version of the volume is now available at the website of the WHO European Observatory.

Spanish and Chinese versions will soon be available.