scholarly journals Environmental assessment and health impact assessment

2018 ◽  
pp. 304-311
Author(s):  
Salim Vohra ◽  
Marla Orenstein ◽  
Francesca Viliani ◽  
Ben Cave ◽  
Ben Harris-Roxas ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Environmental Assessment ◽  
Precautionary Principle ◽  
Health Impact Assessment ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
New Policies

Systematically and holistically considering the community health impacts of new policies and projects is critical. Impact assessment (IA) is a key component of national, international, and many commercial policy and project development and decision-making processes. Health impact assessment (HIA) and the health component of environmental assessment (health in EA) analyses both the potential positive and negative health impacts of policies and projects. HIA and health in EA by engaging stakeholders and incorporating a range of sources and types of evidence can maximize the positive and minimize the negative impacts. This means that precautionary principle is implicitly or explicitly a part of the IA process. There are a range of significant challenges in applying IAs and in applying the precautionary principle, particularly in the IA process. Public health professionals need to engage in the IA process, in HIAs and in Health in EAs, to protect and promote community health and well-being.

scholarly journals The Public Health Implications of Brexit in Wales: A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) approach

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽  
Author(s):  
L Green
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Health Impact Assessment ◽  
Evidence Synthesis ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Advisory Group ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Health And Social Care

Abstract On March 29th 2019, the United Kingdom was due to exit the European Union (EU) in a process known informally as ‘Brexit’. The 2 years before this time (and ongoing) experienced a period of unprecedented political and social upheaval with many unknowns and much uncertainty attached to the outcomes and future impact of withdrawal and transitionary period. Public Health Wales commissioned the Wales Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Support Unit to carry out a HIA of Brexit in Wales to assess the potential impact, extent and nature of ‘Brexit’ on health and wellbeing in Wales which would to inform its planning, future work and support other bodies decision-making, planning and policymaking. A comprehensive HIA was conducted over a 6 month period in 2018/19, steered by a Strategic Advisory Group. Methods included; a literature review; stakeholder workshop; interviews with policy leads, a community health profile, and report with evidence synthesis. Trade agreements, economic impacts, changing relationships with EU agencies, uncertainty and loss of regulatory alignment were key pathways for health impacts to occur. Potential impacts included; food standards/safety; environmental regulations; working conditions; and health and social care. Many impacts will affect the whole population. Vulnerable populations included; children/young people; those at risk of unemployment;Welsh areas receiving significant EU funding. Potential indirect impacts were identified on mental well-being. Brexit has the potential to impact significantly on the determinants of health.The HIA has informed and influenced cross-sector planning and policy in response to the short/long-term implications of Brexit to ensure that health and inequalities are considered at every juncture.This unique work demonstrates continued leadership by Wales in the field of impact assessment and ‘health in policies’ and has been positively received. It has transferable learnings for many nation states and health policy leads. Key messages Brexit is a major policy change with major health impacts. HIA is an informative and influencing process to support planning and future policy making.

scholarly journals Health Impact Assessment and City Council Policy: Identifying Opportunities to Address Local Social Determinants of Health & Place-Health Relationships, 10 Years Later

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Petteway ◽  
Shannon Cosgrove
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Social Determinants ◽  
Health Impact Assessment ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
City Council ◽  
Health Impacts ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Baltimore City ◽  
Local Public Health ◽  
Health Related

Background: Health Impact Assessment (HIA) can be used to assess any type of policy/program related to social determinants (SDH).  However, local public health departments (LHDs) have been slow to adopt formal use of HIA in efforts to address local SDH, even with growing evidence linking SDH and place-health relationships. Ten years ago we completed a review of Baltimore City Council policies to advance this conversation within the LHD. Our goal here is to revisit this review and, again, outline a process by which LHDs can: a) monitor local policies in regard to SDH and b) identify opportunities for potential HIA use. Methods:  We reviewed all policies introduced into Baltimore City Council in calendar years 2008 and 2009. We reviewed each policy to identify those with potential health impacts. We then categorized these policies as: a) “explicitly health-related” or b) “related to SDH.” We then tabulated the number and sub-types of these policies that were referred for LHD review. Results: We identified and reviewed 597 total policies. 89 policies (15%) were identified as “explicitly health-related,” 34 (38%) of which were referred for LHD review. 208 policies (35%) were identified as “related to SDH,” 13 (6%) of which were reviewed. Overall, 297 (50%) policies were identified as having potential health impacts, 47 (16%) of which were reviewed. Conclusion: This work represents a potentially replicable process to identify HIA opportunities, and potential launch point for health-in-all-policies efforts. In Baltimore, it facilitated dialogue with Baltimore City officials and led to the LHD’s first HIA grant.

Assessing health impacts

2020 ◽  
pp. 54-65
Author(s):  
Margaret Douglas ◽  
Ben Cave
Keyword(s):  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Health Impact Assessment ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Health Impacts

By reading this chapter, you will become familiar with: the definition and purpose of health impact assessment (HIA); concepts and values that underpin?HIA; the stages of an HIA process; methods used in?HIA; experiences of?HIA.

Community-Driven Health-Impact Assessment

2015 ◽  
pp. 2169-2186
Author(s):  
Maureen Coady
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Health Impact Assessment ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Community Learning ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Ordinary Citizens

Highly participatory local health impact assessment processes can be used to identify and encourage practices and policies that promote health. They also foster community learning that can increase a community's capacity to improve local conditions for a healthier community. This chapter examines a Community-Driven form of Health Impact Assessment (CHIA) practiced in rural Nova Scotia, Canada since 1997. Experience suggests that informal learning in these processes is often transformative; ordinary citizens learn to identify factors that influence their health, to think beyond the illness problems of individuals, and to consider how programs and policies can weaken or support community health. They learn that that they can identify directions for future action that will safeguard the health of their community.

Community-Driven Health-Impact Assessment

2014 ◽  
pp. 17-34
Author(s):  
Maureen Coady
Keyword(s):  
Nova Scotia ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Informal Learning ◽  
Health Impact Assessment ◽  
Health Impact ◽  
Local Health ◽  
Community Learning ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Ordinary Citizens

Highly participatory local health impact assessment processes can be used to identify and encourage practices and policies that promote health. They also foster community learning that can increase a community's capacity to improve local conditions for a healthier community. This chapter examines a Community-Driven form of Health Impact Assessment (CHIA) practiced in rural Nova Scotia, Canada since 1997. Experience suggests that informal learning in these processes is often transformative; ordinary citizens learn to identify factors that influence their health, to think beyond the illness problems of individuals, and to consider how programs and policies can weaken or support community health. They learn that that they can identify directions for future action that will safeguard the health of their community.

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