From Evidence to System Integration: The ENABLE Project is embedding clean air into Ethiopia’s Family Health guideline

This work is conducted under WP8, aiming to connect evidence generated across ENABLE with policy and health-system action. We engage policymakers and other stakeholders in policy dialogues and participatory Policy Accelerator activities.

Together, they identify gaps and opportunities in existing policies, prioritise evidence-based policy options and develop practical pathways for their adoption and implementation. This work complements ENABLE’s integration of NCD risk reduction into routine care and supports our longer-term aim of creating healthier urban environments.

Moving from Evidence to Institutional Change  

The revision of the Urban Family Health Guide is a concrete example of this pathway from evidence and policy recommendations to institutional change. The workshop advances the implementation of the ENABLE Work Package 8 (WP8) policy brief: "Integrating Household Air Pollution into Ministry of Health Policy and Strategic Documents."

Policy briefs help define priorities and propose policy action, but real-world sustained impact depends on incorporating relevant recommendations into guidelines, tools and systems used by health providers. The revision of the Urban Family Health Guide directly bridges this gap by incorporating practical guidance and key messages on air pollution exposure and risk reduction across the  health packages addressing the needs of urban households.

Evidence creates lasting change when it becomes part of the systems and tools that health workers use every day. Integrating clean air guidance into Ethiopia’s core health frameworks is an important step toward protecting pregnant women, families and urban communities from preventable health risks. Dawit Siraw Workneh, Vital Strategies

Looking ahead, the ENABLE team in close collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and other regional stakeholders will continue this momentum by embedding air pollution priorities into upcoming core national guideline and strategy revisions, including the national NCD Strategy, National Antenatal Care Guideline and the electronic Community Health Information System (e-CHIS) Strategy, etc. By embedding clean air action into everyday health service delivery, Ethiopia is taking significant steps toward mitigating a primary driver of preventable NCD mortality.