Health in All Policies

Health in All Policies (HiAP) is a collaborative approach that integrates and articulates health considerations into policymaking across sectors to improve the health of all communities and people. HiAP recognizes that health is created by a multitude of factors beyond healthcare and, in many cases, beyond the scope of traditional public health activities. The HiAP approach provides one way to achieve the National Prevention Strategy and Healthy People 2020 goals and enhance the potential for state, territorial, and local health departments to improve health outcomes. The HiAP approach may also be effective in identifying gaps in evidence and achieving health equity.

The National Prevention Strategy provides a HiAP framework to guide our nation in the most effective and achievable means for improving health and well-being. It integrates recommendations and actions across multiple settings to focus on both increasing the length of people’s lives and ensuring that their lives are healthy and productive. The broad goal of achieving better health has resulted in a call to action across the country that encompasses everything from promoting healthy behaviors to creating environments that make it easier to exercise and access healthy foods.

For more information about the National Prevention Strategy and the National Prevention Council, visit the Surgeon General’s website here.

Resources:

A circular image depicting the National Prevention Strategy (NPS). On the outside ring of the circle are the seven NPS priorities: tobacco-free living, preventing drug abuse and excessive alcohol use, healthy eating, active living, mental and emotional well-being, reproductive and sexual health, and injury and violence-free living. On the inside ring of the circle are the four NPS strategies: healthy and safe community environments, clinical and community preventive services, empowered people, and elimination of health disparities. In the middle of the circle is the NPS goal: Increase the number of Americans who are healthy at every stage of life.

Health in All Policies Resource Center
The Health in All Policies Resource Center provides resources and tools that support a collaborative approach to health promotion that recognizes the importance of including health considerations when making policy decisions.

Health in All Policies: A Guide for State and Local Governments
Developed by the American Public Health Association, the Public Health Institute, and the California Department of Public Health with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this guide is geared towards state and local government leaders who want to use cross-sector collaboration to promote healthy environments. For additional resources, visit the American Public Health Association’s webpage on Health in All Policies.

Health in All Policies: Strategies to Promote Innovative Leadership
Developed by Association of State and Territorial Health Officials with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this toolkit is intended to help public health leaders promote HiAP as an approach to policymaking and program development.

Health in All Policies (HiAP): Framework for Country Action
Developed by the World Health Organization to serve as a “starter’s kit” for applying HiAP in decision-making and implementation at national and subnational levels, this framework can be easily adapted for use in different country contexts and at the regional and global levels.

Implementing Health in All Policies at the Local Level: Experiences from Local Health Departments
Developed by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this webinar discusses successful HiAP implementation strategies of three U.S. cities—Houston, Baltimore, and San Diego. For additional resources, visit the NACCHO’s webpage on Health in All Policies.

Resource Center for Evidence-Based Prevention and Cross-Sector Approaches
Developed by the National Association of County and City Health Officials with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this resource center serves as a “one-stop-shop” for population-based public health tools and resources including the National Prevention Strategy, the Community Guide, Healthy People 2020, and Health in all Policies and offers guidance for integrating the resources into a uniform approach for achieving health and wellness.

National Prevention Strategy Implementation Toolkit
Developed by the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this toolkit provides state and territorial leadership teams with examples of how states and their partners are already working towards achieving the vision and recommendations of the National Prevention Strategy.