Health Impact Assessments in Strategic Decisionmaking

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Health Impact Assessments in Strategic
Decision-making
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This Presentation

• The basics of HIA
• A case study experience from local action of
  implementing HIA

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How can we use the term HIA?

• Concept
• Process
• Methodology
• Model
• Tool
• Approach

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What is HIA?

• Health impact assessment is a combination of
  procedures, methods and tools by which a policy,
  program or project may be judged as to its
  potential effects on the health of a population,
  and the distribution of those effects within the
  population.
• Gothenburg Consensus Paper,
• ECHP and WHO Regional Office for Europe. (1999)

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Why did the methodolgy develop?

• Inadequate appraisal of impacts on human health
  in environmental impact assessment (EIA) and
  social impact assessment (SIA)
• To raise the profile of health particularly in
  policymaking
• To show the impact of non-health sectors on
  health

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What is HIA?

• Health impact assessment is a specific
  methodology that can be used to answer the
  following questions
• What are the impacts on health and well-being of
  a particular proposal on a group, community or
  population?
• What can we do to increase any beneficial effects
  and reduce or avoid any harmful effects?

By Ms Erica Ison
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HIA is Not.

• Simply monitoring health and other indicators
• Simply using the evidence base to make policy

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EU Strategy for Sustainable development 2006

• .all EU institutions should ensure that major
  policy decisions are based on proposals that have
  undergone high quality impact assessments in a
  balanced way to the social environmental and
  economic dimensions of sustainable development

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WHO Healthy Cities Network

• Phase IV 2003-2008
• Health Impact Assessment is a core theme

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Aalborg Commitments 7. Local Action for Health

• 74 Promote health impact assessment as a means
  for all sectors to focus their work on health and
  the quality of life.

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Taking the Principles of Healthy Cities and the
Aalborg Commitments to the streets of Helsingborg
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Health Impact Assessment on the Proposal for
Traffic Plan in Helsingborg 2006
Photo Torsten Nilsson
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Approach

• A new assessment-tool was used which had been
  developed by a local multidisciplinary and
  cross-sector team.
• The tool is based on local conditions including
  the citys 7 areas of improvement and with focus
  on vulnerable groups.
• Developed in cooperation with the WHOs Healthy
  Cities program and expert adviser Ms Erica Ison.

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The questions in the tool

• What will be influenced? How? Who are the
  stakeholders? Dialog?
• Economical impact?
• Impact on specific areas of improvement?
• Identify target groups, vulnerable groups,
  geographical areas?
• Impact on health and wellbeing, short-term,
  long-term?

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The proposal in relation to areas of improvement
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The proposal in relation to gender and vulnerable
groups
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Conclusion and recommendation

• The proposal will not affect any area of
  improvement negatively, with the possible
  exception of a few targeted housing areas.
  Neither will the proposal increase the health
  differences, except for certain vulnerable
  groups, living within a few identified
  neighbourhoods of the city.

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Why has Helsingborg succeed so far?

• Strong political support
• Involved in global movements
• Support for strategic, long-term structural work,
  including planning, monitoring and evaluation
• General awareness of health inequalities and
  environmental problems

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An ongoing process.

• Be patient, work systematically and get help from
  your friends!

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Further Information

• www.helsingborg.se/hallbarutveckling
• www.euro.who.int/healty-cities