Health impact assessment
Health impact assessment is a widely used method which helps planners, policy makers and the general public to think through the full range of effects that a new scheme may have on the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.
It systematically brings together and analyses evidence from a range of sources to assess the good and bad effect of a proposal on people’s health and wellbeing. Once this has been done it becomes possible to make recommendations as to how to enhance beneficial effects and reduce or prevent ones that may affect people’s health adversely.
There are 6 steps to doing an HIA:
- screening: looking at what is being planned to see if it needs an HIA
- scoping: deciding what aspects may have an impact on health and identifying what needs to be included
- assessing and appraising: which people/social groups will be affected and how? How big will the effects be?
- recommendations: suggesting specific actions that will reduce or remove any negative impacts and increase the positive as much as possible
- reporting: the findings are presented to decision makers and other relevant people to be put into action
- monitoring and evaluating: see if the recommendations have had the desired effect or if there are impacts on people’s health which were not predicted
Health impact assessment (HIA) gateway provides access to resources and information on health impact assessment (HIA) for those new to HIA, practitioners of HIA and those wishing to commission HIAs or some other impact assessment process (that is integrated impact assessment, mental wellbeing impact assessment and health-related strategic environmental assessment). It is noted that this HIA gateway is archived but still contains useful information.
The Healthy Urban Development Unit has developed guidance for rapid and desktop HIAs.