Developing Health Promotion Policies

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Developing Health Promotion Policies

• At a Glance

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Introductions

• Facilitators
• The LiveMeeting Technology
• Webinar Courtesy
• Participants on the call
• Check-in re size of display on screen can
  everyone see the slides?
• Anyone not yet online? (send pdf of show version
  slides by email)

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Introductory Task

• What are some of your house rules (now or as a
  child)?
• Why do we have them? What would / could happen
  without them?

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Comprehensive approach to health promotion
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Why take a policy approach? (1)

• Awareness educational programs may be
  short-lived when designated funds are no longer
  available, but policies, once implemented are
  much harder and slower to change more
  sustainable.
• Because they are harder to change, they can often
  withstand changes in politicians / decision
  makers.

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Improving the Health of Canadians Canadian
Institute for Health Information 377 Dalhousie
Street, Suite 200 Ottawa, Ontario K1N
9N8 Telephone [phone] Fax (613)
241-8120 www.cihi.ca ISBN 1-55392-363-4
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Impact of policy (1)

• A 10 increase in the price of cigarettes
• decreases consumption
• about 4 among adults,
• and up to 14 among youth.
• Health Canada

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Aspects of a good policy

• economically feasible
• politically acceptable
• socially acceptable
• administratively and technologically possible

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Four types of policies

• Legislation seat belt laws
• Fiscal measures discount gym membership for
  employees
• Taxation tax credits for money spent to make
  factories environmentally friendly
• Organizational change change flex-hours
  policies to accommodate working parents with a
  variety of childcare arrangements

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The roadmap to policy development
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Step One Describe the problem

• Cause of the problem
• Impact of the problem
• Perception of the problem
• Possible solutions

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Step Two Assess Readiness for Policy Development

• The purpose of this step is to determine whether
  or not to proceed with a specific policy
  development strategy. This decision should be
  based on whether
• Your community is ready
• Your organization is ready
• It may be that more education is necessary
  (internally and/or externally)

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Assessing readiness

• Community
• Who is supportive or unsupportive?
• What is public opinion?
• Who would care/be affected, in what way?
• Has their been education/awareness/media
  attention already about the issue?
• Organization
• Does it fit with your mandate?
• How much time/resources do you have/
• Who else can support you?

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(No Transcript)
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Step Three Develop Goals, Objectives, Policy
Options

• The purpose of this step is to
• Define clear goals and objectives for the policy
  development initiative
• Generate a list of policy options that you want
  the decision-maker/s to consider

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Step Four Identify Decision-makers and
Influencers

• The purpose of this step is to decide which
  decision-makers will be the focus of your
  support-building efforts
• Might be one person, could be a group of people,
  could be a hierarchal series of people
• Who tends to influence their decisions?

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Step Five Build Support for a Policy

• The purpose of this step is
• To choose communication channels and vehicles
  through which you will try to persuade
  decision-makers to proceed with policy
  development
• To develop the content, or messages, that are put
  forth using those communication methods.

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Communication vehicles vary in level of profile
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Step Six Write and/or Revise the Policy

• This step is the policy-writing phase and
  involves defining the specific logistical and
  often legal details about a policy.

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How to do this step

• All policies should include the following
• Rationale, goals, objectives
• Definitions
• How the policy is implemented (regulations,
  sanctions, procedures for dealing with failure to
  comply)
• Communication, signage and dissemination plans,
  and
• A plan for monitoring and evaluating the policy.

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Step Seven Implement the Policy

• The purpose of this step is to ensure all
  pre-requisites are in place for policy
  implementation, and then implement the policy.

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Step Eight Evaluate Monitor

• The purpose of this step is to develop and manage
  an ongoing system for evaluating the long-term
  effectiveness, feasibility and support for a
  policy.

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Policy Development Challenges and Solutions

• We have developed 3 scenarios based on real
  challenges of people such as yourselves
• Choose a group/scenario that you would like to
  work on
• Brainstorm next steps referring to Policy
  Development At a Glance Handout for ideas
• Prepare to present your ideas to the rest of the
  room
• Timing -

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Resources
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THCU on Policy

• Developing Health Promotion Policies Workbook
• Making the Case (for health promotion)
  Presentation
• Media Advocacy Workbook
• Policy Development At a Glance
• http//www.thcu.ca/infoandresources/policy_resourc
  es.htm

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Policy resources Not ours, but also good!

• Advocacy Strategy Deliberate and Strategic Use
  of Information to Influence Decision-Making
  http//www.opha.on.ca/resources/a-d.htmladvocacy
  
• Canadian Policy Research Network
  http//www.cprn.ca/
• Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
  http//www.policyalternatives.ca/
• More Than a Message Framing Public Health
  Advocacy to Change Corporate Practices. Health
  Education and Behavior, 32(4)320-336, June 2005.
  Dorfman, L., Wallack, L., Woodruff, K. (and
  other publications by Lori Dorfman)

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THCUs Consultation Service

• Free to those working on Ontario-focused
  projects.
• Scope varies, depending on need
• short training sessions
• brief, one-time advice
• review your work or product
• hands-on assistance working through our step
  models
• links to other sources of information and
  resources.
• Consultation request form http//www.thcu.ca/consu
  ltation/request_form.htm
• Sample consultations http//www.thcu.ca/consultati
  on.htm

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Upon Request Workshops

• All of our workshops, are available upon request
  for groups as small as 30 and as large as 50.
• Any coalition or agency can partner with THCU to
  host a workshop in their community.
• We provide the facilitators at no cost and will
  work with you to help tailor, organize and
  promote the event.
• Service request form http//www.thcu.ca/consultati
  on/request_form.htm
• We require at least three months' notice to plan
  and deliver a workshop.

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THCU in collaboration with OHPRS

• Health Promotion 101
• This free, online course helps people familiarize
  themselves with essential health promotion
  concepts.
• http//www.ohprs.ca/hp101/main.htm
• Online Proposal Writing Course
• The purpose of this online course is to help both
  newbies and veterans prepare a coherent and
  effective proposal.
• http//www.thcu.ca/ohcc-thcu-proposal-w
  riting-course/
• Ontario Health Promotion Email Bulletin
• Information exchange among Ontario practitioners.
• Announcements and events distributed weekly.
• Feature articles are distributed every second
  week.
• The bulletins go out every Friday afternoon.
• www.ohpe.ca

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Brought to you by THCU.

• Case Study Series
• Planning, evaluation, health communication
• What Were Reading
• Recommended and summarized resources
• Literature search results
• Completed to support our client consultations
• All available at http//www.thcu.ca/infoandresourc
  es.htm
• THCUs Online Learning Community
• Questions generated from our clients, answers
  generated by THCU and colleagues
  http//www.thcu.ca/blogs/lc/

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More by THCU

• Guide to French Language Resources
  http//www.thcu.ca/index_f.htm
• Changing Behaviours A Practical Framework
  http//www.thcu.ca/infoandresources/resource_displ
  ay.cfm?resourceID58
• Overview of Sustainability Workbook
  http//www.thcu.ca/infoandresources/resource_displ
  ay.cfm?resourceID784

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• Summary wrap-up

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A big thank you to

• Ontario Ministry of Health Promotion
• THCU Colleagues
• Our workshop participants

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Disclaimer

• The Health Communication Unit and its resources
  and services are funded by the Community Health
  Promotion Branch, Ontario Ministry of Health and
  Long-term Care. The opinions and conclusions
  expressed in this paper are those of the
  author(s) and no official endorsement by the
  Ministry of Health and Long-term Care, Community
  Health Promotion Branch is intended or should be
  inferred.