European Public Health Week is taking place this week, with this year’s overarching theme focusing on investing for sustainable health and well-being. The week opened with a daily theme that is highly relevant to JA PreventNCD: aligning all policies with public health.
This theme is closely connected to one of the central ideas behind JA PreventNCD: preventing major chronic diseases requires action far beyond the healthcare system. Many of Europe’s greatest health challenges, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases and mental health conditions, are often referred to as non-communicable diseases, or NCDs. Unlike infectious diseases, they are not passed directly from person to person, but they are strongly shaped by the environments people live in and the conditions that influence everyday choices.
The food available to people, the way cities are planned, opportunities for physical activity, working conditions, education, housing, transport, environmental quality and social support all affect health and well-being.
This idea is at the heart of Health in All Policies, which is an important part of JA PreventNCD’s work. Following the recent Wellbeing Economy Forum in Reykjavík, where participants explored how societies can redefine success around health, well-being and sustainability, the theme feels especially timely.
To mark European Public Health Week, we spoke with Katri Sääksjärvi, from the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare (THL), who leads the Health in All Policies work in JA PreventNCD, about why this approach matters and how it can support stronger prevention across Europe.
To start with, how would you explain Health in All Policies to someone who has never heard the term before?
Health in All Policies means recognizing that decisions made outside the health sector, such as in transport, education, housing, finance, or trade, have major effects on people’s health and health equity, whether intended or not.
Whenever policies are being designed, the question should be asked: how will this decision affect people’s health and health inequalities, and can we improve health outcomes while meeting this policy’s main goals?
Health in All Policies is a governance approach that reflects the understanding that health is shaped by social, economic, environmental, and commercial conditions, and that improving health and health equity requires action across government.
Today’s European Public Health Week theme is “Aligning all policies with public health.” Why is this theme important right now?
Europe is facing overlapping crises that lie largely outside the health sector but have profound consequences for population health and health equity. Health impacts are increasingly driven by non-health policies, such as those on the economy, housing, labour, trade, and security, which can widen health inequalities if misaligned. At the same time, commercial determinants of health, including alcohol, tobacco, and unhealthy commodities, exert strong influence across policy areas. Addressing these challenges right now is essential to protect health and strengthen societal resilience in today’s and tomorrow’s Europe.
Many of the major diseases affecting people in Europe, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases, are linked to the conditions in which people live. How can Health in All Policies support better prevention in practice?
I think the answer lies in shifting the focus from individual behaviour to the conditions that shape health risks in the first place. HiAP supports prevention not by adding more health programmes, but by aligning everyday policy decisions with long-term population health goals and making healthier choices easier, safer, and more equitable for everyone. That includes, for example, effective regulation of tobacco, alcohol, and other unhealthy commodities, and protecting public policymaking from undue commercial influence.
Many sectors may not see themselves as “health actors.” How can public health professionals make the health impact of decisions more visible to other sectors?
Health becomes visible when it is seen as the result of everyday policy decisions, not just something handled by the health sector. In JA PreventNCD, several tasks are developing practical tools that help bring health considerations into decision-making. For example, health impact assessments and a wellbeing economy toolbox can help sectors outside health recognise and act on the health impacts of their decisions.
The recent Wellbeing Economy Forum in Reykjavík focused on redefining success around health, well-being and sustainability. How does the idea of a Wellbeing Economy connect with Health in All Policies?
They both start from the same core insight: that health and well-being are shaped mainly by social, economic, and environmental conditions. I see the Wellbeing Economy as a broader societal goal that reframes success away from GDP growth and towards outcomes such as health, equity, sustainability, and social cohesion. Health in All Policies then provides a practical governance approach to make this shift real in everyday decision-making.
Health in All Policies sounds simple in principle, but it can be difficult to implement. What are some of the main barriers in practice?
Health in All Policies can be difficult to implement because government sectors work in silos with their own priorities, health actors often lack the mandate and capacity to influence other policies early enough, and political and commercial interests can outweigh long-term prevention and equity goals. Thus, aligning policies with public health is ultimately a political choice, requiring leadership, institutional capacity, and a willingness to prioritise long-term population health over narrow sectoral interests.
What is JA PreventNCD trying to contribute through its work on Health in All Policies?
JA PreventNCD aims to strengthen Health in All Policies by making it more practical, actionable, and relevant for everyday policymaking. We focus on understanding how health and health equity are actually considered across sectors and levels of governance, and where this breaks down in practice. For example, we are examining current HiAP practices and gaps at national and EU level, including how health considerations enter policy preparation beyond the health sector. We are building capacity for policymakers by developing practical tools that help sectors outside health recognise and act on health impacts. Furthermore, we are addressing barriers, such as commercial influence, that constrain prevention policies. Overall, JA PreventNCD seeks to support HiAP implementation by helping governments create the policy space needed for effective prevention and for reducing non-communicable diseases.
Why is Health in All Policies also an equity issue?
Health in All Policies is also an equity issue because the conditions created by policies outside the health sector are not distributed equally across society.
Decisions on housing, transport, education, employment, taxation, and environmental protection shape who is exposed to risks and who has access to resources for good health. When these policies are misaligned, they tend to disproportionately harm people in lower socio-economic positions, widening existing health gaps. Thus, HiAP is not only about improving average population health, but also about reducing avoidable and unfair differences in health outcomes across groups.
Could you share one practical example of what Health in All Policies looks like in action?
One practical example of Health in All Policies in action is free, healthy school meals for children. While school meals are often seen as part of education or social policy, they are also a powerful public health intervention. School meals support healthy growth and development, as well as better concentration and learning. They also support the long-term prevention of diet-related diseases, as they help children learn healthy eating habits early in life, shaping food preferences and routines that can carry into adulthood. At the same time, they reduce health inequalities, as all children benefit regardless of family income or background.
Looking ahead, what would you like to see change in Europe when it comes to aligning policies with public health?
I would like to see aligning policies with public health become part of how good governance is defined in Europe. I would also like to see stronger institutional mandates and capacity, so that public health expertise has real weight in cross-sector decision-making. And, of course, I hope that JA PreventNCD will make these changes easier.
Finally, if you could give one message to policymakers during European Public Health Week, what would it be?
My message to policymakers would be that prevention does not slow societies down; it strengthens them. Investing in healthier living conditions, fairer policies, and protection from avoidable risks is not a cost, but one of the smartest long-term investments Europe can make for resilience, trust, and social stability.
Thank you to Katri for sharing her reflections on Health in All Policies and JA PreventNCD’s work in this area.
As European Public Health Week continues, its opening theme is a timely reminder that public health is shaped by decisions made across society. Aligning policies with health and well-being is not only important for preventing major chronic diseases, including cancer and cardiovascular diseases, but also for building fairer, more sustainable and more resilient societies.
Through its work on Health in All Policies and the wider JA PreventNCD collaboration, partners across Europe are helping to strengthen this approach and support more effective prevention.