Health and health equity in policymaking across sectors: Identifying opportunities and challenges in implementing Health in All Policies

Abstract

Aims: The Health in All Policies (HiAP) approach is based on the understanding that much of health and health equity is constructed in society outside the health sector, and that health and health equity are also crucial for achieving many other societal goals. To strengthen the implementation of HiAP in the European Union, we will study the current systems and practices for inclusion of health and health equity perspectives in policies across sectors. We will also examine the opportunities for health in various sectoral policies and the challenges in evidence-informed policymaking, including those posed by commercial actors. This work is done as part of the Joint Action on the Prevention of Cancer and other Non-communicable Diseases (JA PreventNCD). Methods: We will collect scientific literature, policy documents, grey literature, utilise databases, conduct interviews and organise workshops. For analysis, we will use content, policy and stakeholder analyses, as well as quantitative methods. We will compare results between countries. Results: The final outputs include research articles, policy briefs, reports, toolboxes, policy dialogues and capacity-building activities. Conclusions: This work aims to strengthen the inclusion of health and health equity perspectives in policymaking by assessing the current landscape, developing tools, providing actionable recommendations and engaging in policy dialogues with decision-makers.