Integrating Health Impact Assessment With The Policy Process

Drawing from experiences of HIA practice and research globally, this book examines how the integration of HIA with the policy process can occur. Each chapter includes learning points to assist the reader knowledge and understanding of HIA process.

Health Impact Assessment is a policy-support instrument and approach that seeks to assess the health impacts of projects, programmes and policies on population health. The ultimate goal of HIA is to systematically predict health impacts and subsequently inform the intersectoral decision- and policy-making processes of these impacts. Integrating Health Impact Assessment with the Policy Process examines how the process of integrating HIA with policy can take place. Introductory chapters outline the HIA process and provide a conceptual foundation for the book. Then, drawing from experiences of HIA practice and research globally, country specific experiences are presented to examine HIA's relationship with the policy process. Throughout the book checklists and learning points are provided to assist the readers' understanding of the concepts and examples discussed. This practical and conceptually-grounded guide represents a convergence of theory and practice from the disciplines of public health, environmental health and the social sciences, and will appeal to practitioners and professionals in these fields, as well as policy-makers, decision-makers, planners at regional and national government levels as well as academics, educators and students.

"Public health issues, such as obesity, lung disease from air pollution or mental health complaints from living in an unsafe neighbourhood, are complex, intractable policy problems. The causes are dispersed at the individual and the collective level among different societal sectors. One strategy to integrate health in other sectors policies for developing effective and cooperative policy solutions is to provide evidence in a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) from proposed policies and project plans. In 15 years of practising HIA, policymakers and academics nevertheless express concern about its effectiveness. In The Politics of Healthy Policies a conceptual and empirical analysis is presented of the role of HIA in policy development. From a governance perspective the author identifies different purposes of HIA for indicating societal problems and democratic deficits." ... Back cover.

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.

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

Factoring health and related costs into decision making is essential to confronting the nation's health problems and enhancing public well-being. Some policies and programs historically not recognized as relating to health are believed or known to have important health consequences. For example, public health has been linked to an array of policies that determine the quality and location of housing, availability of public transportation, land use and street connectivity, agricultural practices and the availability of various types of food, and development and location of businesses and industry. Improving Health in the United States: The Role of Health Impact Assessment offers guidance to officials in the public and private sectors on conducting HIAs to evaluate public health consequences of proposed decisions -- such as those to build a major roadway, plan a city's growth, or develop national agricultural policies -- and suggests actions that could minimize adverse health impacts and optimize beneficial ones. Several approaches could be used to incorporate aspects of health into decision making, but HIA holds particular promise because of its applicability to a broad array of programs, consideration of both adverse and beneficial health effects, ability to consider and incorporate various types of evidence, and engagement of communities and stakeholders in a deliberative process. The report notes that HIA should not be assumed to be the best approach to every health policy question but rather should be seen as part of a spectrum of public health and policy-oriented approaches. The report presents a six-step framework for conducting HIA of proposed policies, programs, plans, and projects at federal, state, tribal, and local levels, including within the private sector. In addition, the report identifies several challenges to the successful use of HIA, such as balancing the need to provide timely information with the realities of varying data quality, producing quantitative estimates of health effects, and engaging stakeholders.

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.