Health in All Policies - Explainer
The Big Idea
Every policy decision is a health decision
When governments decide where to build a road, how to fund early childhood education, what workplace rules to set, or who gets access to affordable housing — they are making decisions that shape the health of communities. This is what Health in All Policies means: health is not just the responsibility of a health department. It belongs to everyone at the table.
How policy decisions shape health — four examples
Housing Policy
Overcrowding, mould, instability, and lack of safe space drive stress, respiratory illness, and poor mental health — especially for children.
Education Policy
School environments, nutrition programs, and early learning investment shape cognitive development, resilience, and lifelong health outcomes.
Employment Standards
Precarious work, lack of sick leave, and unsafe conditions drive chronic stress, anxiety, and physical injury — before anyone sees a doctor.
Transportation Planning
Access to transit determines who can reach work, food, healthcare, and social connection — and who is left isolated and at risk.
Health in All Policies in action — two ASI projects on PEI
PEI Project — Active to 2027
PEI Upstream Mental Health Project
Funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, this project puts the ideas in ASI’s Investing Upstream policy brief into action — promoting mental health upstream, before crisis, across Prince Edward Island. The project recognizes that child and youth mental health is shaped by income, housing, early learning, and community belonging — not just clinical care.
PEI Project — Completed
Menopause in PEI
Perimenopause and menopause affect more than half the population — yet workplace policies, healthcare systems, and public programs rarely account for them. Through six focus groups across PEI, 38 women and gender-diverse people shared experiences that revealed clear gaps in employment policy, healthcare access, and public support. A personal health issue turned out to be a policy issue.
The ask
Health in All Policies is not just a concept — it is a call to action. ASI’s Investing Upstream Policy Brief asks Atlantic provincial governments, municipal governments, and the federal government to adopt a whole-of-government approach to population health. When every policy table includes a health lens, communities become healthier — before a crisis forces the conversation. Learn more at asi-iea.ca