Health Impact Assessment

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is primarily concerned with the future consequences of plans, proposals and policies on the health of communities. It is a rapidly growing complement to Environmental Impact Assessment, increasingly mandated by national and international requirements. Guidelines have been produced by many national and international organizations and it is being introduced in a number of undergraduate or postgraduate university curricula. However, there has been until now no broad-based, introductory text of international scope to the subject, suitable for both these courses and for professional training. The purpose of this book is to fill this gap and to introduce the subject of Health Impact Assessment using plain language, in both general and specific contexts and with reference to both market and less developed economies. As a result, the reader should be able to describe what HIA can and cannot achieve, identify the components of a successful HIA and participate in an assessment as a member of a team. Examples are provided from a number of planning and development sectors, including extractive industry, water resource management, and housing. The reader, whether student or professional, need not be a health specialist, although prior knowledge of some public or environmental health would be an advantage.

This publication provides practical tools and guidance on how development projects of the Asian Development Bank can improve the health of the communities that they serve. This sourcebook provides up-to-date information regarding ADB environmental safeguards, poverty and social analysis, and compliance procedures in order to support the process of health impact assessment. It is a useful reference for ADB staff, borrowers, executing agencies, consultants, and others seeking a better understanding of how to implement health impact assessments. The publication outlines the procedures, methods, and tools that health impact assessments use to systematically judge the potential effects of a policy, plan, program, or project on the health of a population. It is useful to those who are producing a health impact assessment or public health management plan.

This book gives a comprehensive overview of the concepts, theory, techniques and applications of Health Impact Assessment to aid all those preparing projects or carrying out assessments. It draws on examples and thinking from many different disciplines and many parts of the world. This is the first easily accessible book, which reviews the whole field. It is likely to become the standard reference for HIA and the first place that anyone seeking to learn about the subject will turn.

This book brings together the scientific evidence on the main effects of transport on human health and the environment. It sets the conceptual framework for future analyses of the health burden and health gains from transport policies. It outlines how these health concerns have been reflected in policy tools such as impact assessment, regulation and economic analysis, and identifies the areas where action is most needed. Discussions of the environment and health effects of transport need to be communicated in a way that is relevant for policy-makers and easily understood by nonscientists. That is the aim of this book, which summarizes the results of extensive reviews of the issues prepared by groups of prominent international experts. It is also planned to release the reviews themselves, to give a more detailed account of the scientific evidence. [Foreword]

Health Impact Assessment is a process which helps decision making by predicting the health consequences of different option choices in terms of policies, plans and projects.

A new public policy initiative is proposed, or a large-scale construction project. What is its potential impact on the health of the population? Are there adverse effects to address, health benefits to be promoted, some combination of both? A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a cross-disciplinary means of answering these and other complex questions, so programs, projects, or policies can be adjusted accordingly. Health Impact Assessment in the United States analyzes the goals, tools, and methods of HIA, and the competencies that are central to establishing best practices. It sets out the core principles that differentiate HIA from environmental and similar assessments, fleshing them out with case examples from the U.S. and abroad. Details of each step of the HIA process take follow-through into account, giving readers insights into not only collecting and evaluating data, but also communicating findings effectively to decision-makers and stakeholders. The book's expert coverage includes: The importance of HIA to policy development. Introduction to public health, community planning, and health assessment. Overview of the core concepts of HIA, with illustrative examples. Step-by-step guide to conducting an HIA, from screening to evaluation. Emerging technologies shaping HIA tools and procedures. Appendices featuring sample assessment sections and other resources. The HIA has an increasingly vital place in the future of health-related policy, making Health Impact Assessment in the United States a valued manual and critical ideabook for students and practitioners in public health, public policy, urban planning, and community planning. “This book charts the growth of HIA in the United States, and provides invaluable guidance on conducting HIAs and utilizing their results. Very highly recommended.” Howard Frumkin, MD, DrPH, Dean, University of Washington School of Public Health “This new book by three internationally recognized leaders in the field provides a practical guide to using this tool to identify important but often unrecognized opportunities and risks for health created by decisions in transportation, housing, energy, and other sectors.” Aaron Wernham, Director of the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts. “This book makes an important contribution to the health impact assessment field and is a great resource for practitioners, researchers and students... it helps the reader to not only understand HIA but to do it.” Ben Harris-Roxas, Conjoint Lecturer, Centre for Primary Health Care and Equity, University of New South Wales; Health Section Co‐Chair, International Association for Impact Assessment; Consultant, Harris‐Roxas Health. “Health Impact Assessment in the United States is an important resource... helping to uncover hidden causes of health inequities in proposals and identifying potential solutions before the proposals are implemented.” Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder and CEO, PolicyLink

In this book, the health impacts of promoting walking to school as part of a comprehensive health impact assessment (HIA) were examined. The chapter focused on a single area of analysis - physical activity and associated changes in body mass index (BMI). The second chapter of this book reviews the potential health outcomes related to redeveloping a dangerous highway; the third chapter examined noise health impact assessment, with a focus on noise levels, peak levels and reverberation times of playrooms. The authors discuss the practical measures that can be taken for effective noise prevention that could help improve actual noise conditions and minimize the risk of health effects. The last chapter reviews the persistence of microbial adhesion and its challenges to the establishment and maintenance of hygienic conditions in various environments.

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is primarily concerned with the future consequences of plans, proposals and policies on the health of communities. It is a rapidly growing complement to Environmental Impact Assessment, increasingly mandated by national and international requirements. Guidelines have been produced by many national and international organizations and it is being introduced in a number of undergraduate or postgraduate university curricula. However, there has been until now no broad-based, introductory text of international scope to the subject, suitable for both these courses and for professional training. The purpose of this book is to fill this gap and to introduce the subject of Health Impact Assessment using plain language, in both general and specific contexts and with reference to both market and less developed economies. As a result, the reader should be able to describe what HIA can and cannot achieve, identify the components of a successful HIA and participate in an assessment as a member of a team. Examples are provided from a number of planning and development sectors, including extractive industry, water resource management, and housing. The reader, whether student or professional, need not be a health specialist, although prior knowledge of some public or environmental health would be an advantage.