Grant: Operating Grant

Growing evidence indicates how the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work and age help shape our health. Consequently, macro-social and economic determinants of health and well-being must be addressed using Health in All Policies (HiAP), a government strategy that improves health by engaging health and non-health sectors in action. Although many examples of HiAP have emerged, the reasons for their successful implementation have not been systematically studied. How have jurisdictions with well-established HiAP initiatives facilitated progress in implementation within and across levels of government? Using an explanatory multiple case study, a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Centre for Research on Inner City Health, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Toronto will pursue the following objectives: 1) Conduct seven explanatory case studies of HiAP implementation to elicit rich data on what strategies drive sustainable implementation in a diverse sample of jurisdictions, 2) Synthesize evidence to test and refine theoretical propositions about sustainable implementation of HiAP by carrying out a cross-case analysis of ten case studies, including seven case studies conducted with this grant and three already completed case studies, and 3) Translate results into a series of evidence-based successful practices to support the implementation of HiAP and other ISA globally. Our Advisory Group of Canadian and international policymakers will be consulted to facilitate an Integrated Knowledge Translation approach to improve the quality and relevance of research, and the impact of end-of-grant dissemination. This study will support HiAP strategies in Canada and globally by synthesizing evidence to inform implementation practices that feature more effective collaboration across levels and sectors of government in pursuing intersectoral action to improve the social determinants of health and health equity.