Today, on 10 December a policy toolkit will be presented at the final conference of the European four-year research project INHERIT. Our current consumption and production patterns, behaviour and lifestyle, are often unhealthy and unsustainable, and there are persistent health inequalities. The INHERIT project has looked for promising policy and practical initiatives that contribute to a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle, while at the same time helping to reduce health inequalities ('triple win') – areas embedded in RIVM’s DNA. Some of these initiatives have also been evaluated.
At the conference ‘A Future for all to INHERIT: Taking Action Now’ there will be debates amongst EU (European Union ) Health State Secretaries, including from the Finnish Presidency of the EU, high-level representatives from the European Commission and European Parliament, local policymakers, and leading researchers and economists. The recommendations of the INHERIT Toolkit will serve to frame the debates.
RIVM contribution
RIVM has lead the work resulting in a literature review on the impacts of green spaces, energy-efficient housing, active transport and food production and consumption on the environment, health and health inequalities, as well as the insights on behaviour change to maximise positive impacts. RIVM also coordinated the qualitative evaluation of intersectoral collaboration in 12 European ‘triple win’ initiatives and evaluated two of these initiatives - Food Garden in Rotterdam, and Restructuring Greens Spaces in Breda.
In addition, in collaboration with international partners, RIVM developed a conceptual framework to guide the work and helped to translate the results of the project into a toolkit for policymakers, from the international to the local level. The aim of this toolkit is to support initiatives contributing to the triple win of environmental sustainability, health, and health equity.
About INHERIT
INHERIT is a 48-month / Four-year (2016-2019) Horizon 2020 project funded by the European Commission. INHERIT consists of 18 partners from around Europe led by EuroHealthNet.