Santiago Sano: Tackling noncommunicable diseases through Health in All Policies in Santiago, Chile

Chile has one of the highest rates of obesity and tobacco consumption worldwide. Historically, efforts to tackle risk factors for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) in Chile have failed to work cross-sectorally to implement cost-effective policies. The Health in All Policies approach provides a unique opportunity to foster progress in tackling NCDs in Chile.

The Municipality of Santiago is the oldest municipality in Chile, with more than 300,000 inhabitants and a large transient population. Since 2014, the Municipality has been implementing Santiago Sano, an intersectoral health promotion plan addressing the availability, marketing, and affordability of healthy (and unhealthy) food, physical activity, and alcohol and tobacco consumption. This presentation will describe a plan started in January 2014 with the support of the mayor that includes commitments from all municipal departments. Implementation of the plan is led by the Mayor's Office through an Executive Committee that is responsible for defining priorities and monitoring effective policy, while the day-to-day coordination is led by the Department of Health.

The presentation will explain how the plan has been translated into several intersectoral processes and concrete results, such as passing a Municipal Law to introduce a surcharge on events and stores advertising alcohol and sugary foods and drinks; implementation of bike parking racks in 17 public schools; a health promoting children's playground; and the development of a monitoring system for alcohol-related harm. The presenter will highlight the importance of political will, intersectoral processes and structures, windows-of-opportunity, and management of conflicts of interest to the success of this work.