The Health in All Policies concept is an innovative way of thinking about how policies outside of the health sector can impact health in ways that aren’t necessarily traditional or obvious. Endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Healthy People 2020 and other national health organizations, the concept is gaining national attention.
In 2009, the Kansas Health Institute launched Children’s Health in All Policies (CHAP) as a way to explore how the Health in All Policies concept can be used in Kansas to work within and across sectors to promote and improve the health of children. Over a six month period, an advisory panel — which consisted of 21 members, including state legislators and representatives from governmental and nongovernmental organizations — prioritized six important children’s health issues in Kansas. KHI staff then evaluated evidence-informed, cross-sectoral policy approaches for addressing these issues.
The Children’s Health in All Policies: A Workbook presents findings from the CHAP project. It serves as an accessible reference for identifying promising policy solutions to improve the health of Kansas children and outlines ways to apply the Health in All Policies approach when developing evidence-informed policy options at the state and local levels.