Health in All Policies (HiAP)

The term Health in All Policies, or HiAP, has been used to describe the larger goal of HIA– ensuring that health is considered in public policies. HIA is a powerful and effective tool used to achieve the larger goal of HiAP. HiAP is defined as a collaborative approach that integrates and articulates health considerations into policy making and programming across sectors, and at all levels, to improve the health of all communities and people. HiAP requires public health practitioners to collaborate with other sectors to define and achieve mutually beneficial goals. (ASTHO, 2012)

In 2010, the World Health Organization inspired international momentum with the Adelaide Statement on Health in All Policies. Since then, countries like Australia and Finland have taken the lead on implementing nationwide strategies for HiAP. In the United States, the governor of California established the HiAP task force by executive order in 2010. California has since implemented several very successful state-level cross-agency collaborations that prioritize health. In Massachusetts, the Healthy Transportation Compact was signed into law in 2009, requiring the health and transportation departments to work together on implementing certain transportation projects.

HIA is one of several tools that has been used to advance a HiAP approach. Other tools include: health notes, health impact review, health lens analysis and the use of health matrices. Communities can begin their HiAP journey using one of these tools which employ the seven HiAP strategies as defined by Gase, et. al (2013): develop and structure cross-sector relationships; incorporate health into decision making; enhance workforce capacity; coordinate funding and investments; integrate research, evaluation, and data systems; synchronize communications and implement accountability structures.

Health in All Policies Resources

NEW from SOPHIA: If you’re looking to initiate, increase, or inspire your Health in All Polices work, SOPHIA's new HiAP Implementation Guide is a great place to start. It includes 36 HiAP tactics with tips and examples for practitioners at any level of experience. The HiAP Implementation Guide was developed by the SOPHIA HiAP Working Group in 2023 and is based on the previous works by Gase et al. (2013), and the SOPHIA HiAP Screening Guide (2017). The HiAP Working Group also created the HiAP Strategy Selector Tool -- an interactive worksheet that elevates the tactics that may be a better fit for you given your community’s characteristics. Download it today and give it a try.

Overall HiAP Resources

CDC HiAP Page

APHA HiAP Resources

Pan American Health Organization HiAP

California HiAP Guide for State and Local Governments

Rural Health Information Hub Toolkit

ChangeLab Solutions HiAP Toolkit

HiAP Screening Guide (SOPHIA, 2017)