The Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessment
Scope and limitations of supporting decision-making in
Edited by Matthias Wismar, Julia Blau, Kelly Ernst, Josep Figueras
World Health Organization, on behalf of the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, 2007
Available online as PDF file [321p.] at: http://www.euro.who.int/document/E90794.pdf
“…..Making decisions at any level requires judgement, and judgement must be based on the best available knowledge and information about all the consequences of the action to be taken. Many decisions made in a wide range of policy areas have an impact on health – sometimes to a surprising degree. How many developers of new roads, for example, take into account the true impacts of those roads on health? A new bypass road may solve traffic congestion problems, but the additional pollution and noise, and discouragement from walking or cycling along that route might well have an adverse effect on the health of the population in the area.
All governments will seek to avoid these kinds of problems resulting from decision-making. However, gathering the necessary information to support a good decision is not an easy task. Tools such as health impact assessment (HIA) can make a real difference in enabling policy-makers to predict the consequences of proposals. As the mapping exercise and case studies in this volume demonstrate….” Foreword - Robert Madelin, Director General for Health and Consumer Protection European Commission, August 2007
“…..Health impact assessment (HIA) is a support tool for intersectoral decision- and policy-making. It is used to assess the potential health consequences of pending decisions and it feeds this information back into the decision-making process.
This book provides a detailed map of the use of HIA in the WHO European Region across a large range of sectors, including transport, environment, urban planning and agriculture, and at national, regional and local levels. It also reviews the implementation and institutionalization of HIA with specific focus on governance, financing, resource generation and delivery.
HIA's effectiveness is explored and analysed in 17 case studies using a common analytical approach. This research also identifies the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of HIA. Overall the book demonstrates that HIA can be effective, while also revealing the uneven development and incomplete institutionalization of HIA across
The book is based on a European research project funded under the European Union Public Health Work Programme. The research was led by the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies and included research teams from 19 countries….”
Content:
Foreword Robert Madelin
Why research HIA? An introduction to the volume Matthias Wismar
Part I: Health Impact Assessment: Key Issues, Research and Results
Chapter 1: What is HIA and why might it be useful? John Kemm
Chapter 2: Is HIA effective? A synthesis of concepts, methodologies and results Matthias Wismar, Julia Blau and Kelly Ernst
Part II: The European Map of Health Impact Assessment
Chapter 3: The use of HIA across
Chapter 4: Implementing and institutionalizing HIA in
Part III: The Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessment: Case Studies
Case study 1: A large-scale urban development HIA: focusing on vulnerable groups in
Katie Collins and
Case study 2: Ecosystem revitalization: community empowerment through HIA in
Roberta Siliquini, Nicola Nante and Walter Ricciardi
Case study 3: A local-level HIA in the transport sector: following legal requirements in
Marius Stricka, Ingrida Zurlyte and Vilius Grabauskas
Case study 4: HIA and intersectoral policy in urban planning: a checklist for health impact screening in
Janneke van Reeuwijk-Werkhorst and Loes van Herten
Case study 5: A city council’s air quality action plan: building capacity for HIA in
Case study 6: Using intersectoral networks towards the adoption of the Common Agricultural Policy: an HIA on the Food and Nutrition Action Plan in
Mojca Gabrijelcic Blenkus and Nina Scagnetti
Case study 7: A private sector HIA initiative: a smoke-free workplace policy in
Case study 8: HIA speeding up the decision-making process: the reconstruction of route 73 in
Case study 9: Citizen involvement in a local HIA: informing decisions on the future of a landfill site in
Eva Elliott, Alison Golby and Gareth Williams
Part IV: The Effectiveness of Integrating Health in Other Impact Assessments: Case Studies
Case study 10: A participative social impact assessment at the local level: supporting the land-use planning process in
Kirsi Nelimarkka, Tapani Kauppinen and Kerttu Perttilä
Case study 11: The controversial Berlin Brandenburg International Airport: time- and resource-consuming efforts concerning health within planning approval in Germany Rudolf Welteke, Thomas Classen, et al.
Case study 12: “Buzz” around electromagnetic fields: a lengthy environmental HIA in
Part V: The Effectiveness of Elements of Health Impact Assessment: Case Studies
Case study 13: Pushing the agenda among decision-makers: an international assessment of transport-related health effects in six countries
Martin Sprenger and Ursula Püringer
Case study 14: Contributing to a public health culture: health and economic impacts of a health promotion campaign in
Gabriel Gulis
Case study 15: Removing hurdles towards HIA: pilot project of an obstacle-free environment in
Case study 16: Traffic and transport at the local level: capacity building for HIA in
Case study 17: Moving towards the development of an HIA methodology: the effects of air pollution in
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