Implementing the Health Impact Assessments on Cultural Policies in Korea

Abstract

Recently, the importance of health promotion have been widely recognized in Korean where chronic diseases are rapidly increasing. However, it is recognized that the performance of health promotion policies has been unsatisfactory, and more detailed and effective approaches are needed to meet an increase in people's demand for a healthier live. The approaches include health impact assessments(HIAs) for a wider range of social polices. This study tries to develop methodologies to implement HIA for cultural policies, which might greatly affect people's mental health. Based on some criteria, this study selects three different cultural policies such as art instructor support programs, anti-internet addiction programs(AIAP), local festival support programs, and applies HIA to derive policy implications. This study finds that although AIAP has positive impacts on users' mental health, more cooperative efforts among related ministries are needed from the stage of drafting strategies.