Children’s Health in All Policies

2 Min Read

Mar 09, 2010

By

Tatiana Y. Lin, M.A.,

Sharon M. Homan, Ph.D.

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In November 2009, the Kansas Health Institute (KHI) launched Children’s Health in All Policies (CHAP), a new initiative designed to address policies that impact children’s health in the context of policy-making at all levels.

The CHAP project engaged stakeholders from the Kansas Legislature, government agencies and non-government organizations to identify determinants of health that are largely influenced by policies of non-health sectors. The CHAP stakeholders examined possibilities for improving health by engaging sectors such as agriculture, education, and transportation. KHI provided up-to-date epidemiological and programmatic research to inform the process.

The initiative aims to identify the information needs of policymakers in order to enhance their ability to recognize common opportunities in multiple sectors for improving the health of Kansas children.

The CHAP initiative brought together more than 30 participants. Over the course of four work group meetings held before and during the 2010 legislative session, participants and KHI staff discussed priority areas and began to build consensus on how to best address those priorities.

The CHAP participants explored a wide range of children’s health topics including poverty, infant mortality, obesity, children with special health care needs, oral health, access to health care, childhood injury and adolescent risk behaviors. For each of these topics, participants discussed the causes, sectors of interest, and promising policy solutions.

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About Kansas Health Institute

The Kansas Health Institute supports effective policymaking through nonpartisan research, education and engagement. KHI believes evidence-based information, objective analysis and civil dialogue enable policy leaders to be champions for a healthier Kansas. Established in 1995 with a multiyear grant from the Kansas Health Foundation, KHI is a nonprofit, nonpartisan educational organization based in Topeka.

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