Rapid health impact assessment of a Danish policy document: One Denmark without Parallel Societies: No Ghettos in 2030

In 2010, the Danish government identified socially vulnerable areas in Denmark and defined the most deprived areas as “ghettos.” In 2018, the acting government passed a policy document called “One Denmark without Parallel Societies: No Ghettos in 2030,” which aims to eliminate ghetto areas by 2030. The aim of this study was to conduct a rapid health impact assessment (HIA) of the policy. One ghetto area (Stengardsvej, Esbjerg) was selected for the HIA, and an equity-focused HIA tool was applied. A public health knowledge-based assessment was conducted on the policy-based health paradigm determinants. To gain an in-depth understanding of potential health impacts of the policy, two focus group discussions were conducted: one with municipal employees working in the area (four persons), and one with residents living in the area (five persons). The policy contains four key intervention areas: (1) housing, (2) place of residence, (3) crime prevention, and (4) early start in life. Positive health impacts could be expected to some extent in relation to “early start in life” through enhanced focus on education of children. Negative health impacts could be expected on “housing” and the focus on place of residence in the area. Crime prevention involves issues where the question of restriction of human rights can be raised. The most relevant health outcome mentioned by both residents and municipal employees was mental health. Quantification was not performed due to lack of specific data for targeted areas. The overall health impacts of the policy “One Denmark without Parallel Societies: No Ghettos in 2030” were rather negative. Besides leading to poor mental health, substantial economic losses can be expected as well as issues related to human rights.