The perfect gift for an HIA practitioner?

You're in luck! There are three recent/soon to be published books that IAIA members have edited or contributed to:

Integrating Health Impact Assessment (HIA) with the Policy Process : Lessons and experiences from around the world - Monica O'Mullane

Health Impact Assessment: Past Achievement, Current Understanding, and Future Progress -John Kemm

Health Impact Assessment: Principles and Practice - Martin Birley

In the unlikely event that they don't want any of these Croakey has published a collection of health-related reading suggestions.

IAIA13: Are you coming?

The deadline for abstracts is 31 December. Get submitting!

Global Burden of Disease 2010 event now live webcasting

This is a reminder that the afternoon session restarts at 1:15pm GMT.

See it at www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/gbd/live

Global Burden of Disease 2010 live webcast - Fri 14th Dec

On 14th December 2012 The Lancet together with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) will host an event to present the findings of the 2010 Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study.  This unprecedented project has been completed in collaboration with more than 400 researchers in over 300 institutions across 50 countries, led by the IHME and a consortium of five other partners: Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, University of Queensland, University of Tokyo and WHO. The study began in 2007 and is the most comprehensive effort since the GBD 1990 to produce complete and comparable estimates of the burden of diseases, injuries, and risk factors for the years 1990, 2005, and 2010 for 21 regions covering the entire globe. The GBD 2010 Study is significantly broader in scope than previous versions, including: • 235 causes of death • 67 risk factors • Improved methods for the estimation of mortality and disability Watch the event live via webcast Taking place at The Royal Society in London, the event is open to everyone and because we realise that on a practical level many interested parties won't be able to attend in person, it will be broadcast live via webcast for anyone who chooses to tune in at www.healthmetricsandevaluation.org/gbd/live. Choose which sessions to 'attend' from the agenda below. More info For the agenda and more information about the Global Burden of Disease visit www.thelancet.com/themed/global-burden-of-disease. Follow on Twitter @TheLancet for updates on GBD 2010. What's your opinion? Don't forget to use #gbd2010.

Online Course: Introduction to Health Impact Assessment of Public Policies

More information from NCCHPP

An online course on health impact assessment (HIA) of public policies has been developed by the NCCHPP and the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (Québec's public health institute - INSPQ) in collaboration with Dr. Richard Massé, associate professor at the Department of social and preventive medicine at the University of Montreal, and other partners. This course aims to help participants to develop and improve their competencies for leading an HIA process relating to public policies, and to do this with partners from different sectors.

Important dates 
The course will be offered in French from: February 12 to March 31, 2013.  

Registration deadline for the course in French: December 14, 2012.

The course will be offered in English from: May 1 to June 12, 2013. 

Registration deadline for the course in English: March 20 , 2013.  

Target audience 
The course is intended for participants who wish to pursue the HIA of public policies. In particular, it is meant for practitioners in public health and in other related sectors, as well as for decision makers, including:

• professionals and practitioners interested in public policies and their impacts on population health;
• professionals and practitioners working in evaluation, including HIA;
• professionals in charge of applying HIA in their organizations;
• professionals and researchers active in the health and social services sectors, particularly public health.

More 

The impact and effectiveness of health impact assessment: A conceptual framework

Many of you will have heard me present about the conceptual framework we developed for evaluating the impact and effectiveness of HIA over the past few years. The good news is our paper on it has been published:

Harris-Roxas B, Harris E (2012) The Impact and Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessment: A conceptual framework, Environmental Impact Assessment Review:accepted, in press. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2012.09.003

It's the first empirically-derived conceptual framework for evaluating HIA that I'm aware of and may also be useful for planning and reporting on HIAs. It emphasises context, process and impacts as key domains and attempts to identify the broad range of factors that influence the effectiveness of HIAs.

Please let me know if you have any problems accessing the article so I can send you a copy.

IAIA 2013. Fecha límite para el envío de comunicaciones sobre Evaluación del Impacto en Salud (EIS)/Análisis de Impacto en Salud (AIS): lunes 31 de diciembre 2012

Si ya cuenta con una amplia experiencia profesional en el campo de la EIS, si acaba de realizar su primera EIS o si es estudiante de salud pública que investiga en este campo, IAIA 2013 le invita a enviar sus propuestas al congreso.

Los temas clave del congreso son (sin excluir otras propuestas): “Reflejando la variedad de prácticas en la EIS” y “Viejos temas y nuevas aplicaciones”. Si busca un espacio en el que debatir sobre sus experiencias e ideas con otros profesionales que trabajan en este campo, este congreso es para usted.

Sesión 1.  “Reflejando la variedad de prácticas en la EIS”, se analizará la diversidad existente en la práctica de la EIS y cómo se está aplicando en todo el mundo.

Sesión 2. “Viejos temas y nuevas aplicaciones”, se analizarán nuevos enfoques para abordar temas clave como la equidad, la eficacia, el cambio climático, las evaluaciones de impacto integradas y las EIS estratégicas/aplicadas a políticas.

 Su comunicación no tiene por qué remitirla necesariamente a las sesiones específicas de EIS, también puede presentarlas en sesiones centradas en evaluación de impacto ambiental o impacto social si lo desea. Además, también puede elegir entre otros muchos otros temas de interés como el cambio climático, las energías alternativas o  la evaluación de impacto social, entre otros.

Puede visitar la Web del congreso IAIA13 en: http://bit.ly/ViOA4K. Para el envío de comunicaciones o posters: http://bit.ly/YKDdZU

Programa provisional disponible en: http://bit.ly/YuVY. En este enlace podrá acceder además a más información sobre los eventos y actividades del congreso. Información sobre EIS en las páginas  12 y 31, y en la 26 sobre el curso avanzado en EIS que se ofrece en jornada pre-congreso.

Si necesita ayuda para el envío de comunicaciones o desea discutir su propuesta póngase en contacto con Francesca VILIANI francescav@internationalsos.com o Ben Harris-Roxas b.harrisroxas@gmail.com

 

Conférence IAIA 2013: envoyez votre proposition de communication jusqu’au lundi 31 décembre 2012

Evaluateur expérimenté, debutant ayant terminé sa première EIS ou étudiant en santé publique conduisant des recherches en matière d’EIS: la Conférence IAIA 2013 vous sollicite pour des communications en matière d’EIS, quelque soit votre statut et sur toute thématique.

 

Les thèmes centraux de cette année, sans que vous vous sentiez limités par ceux-là, sont: “Réfléter l’éventail de la pratique de l’EIS” et “Vieilles questions, nouvelles applications”.

Si vous souhaitez discuter vos idées ou vos experiences avec des collègues-praticiens en matière d’EIS, cette conference est pour vous.

La session de presentations n°1 “Réfléter l’éventail de la pratique de l’EIS” va explorer la diversité des pratiques de l’EIS et la manière suivant laquelle l’EIS est utilisée à travers le monde.

La session de presentations n°2 “Vieilles questions, nouvelles applications”, va examiner les nouvelles approches pour traiter des problématiques bien connues telles que l’équite, l’efficacité, le changement climatique, les évaluations intégrées et les EIS sur les politiques et les strategies.

Vous n’êtes bien entendu pas obligés de proposer une présentation spécifique pour les sessions consacrées à l’EIS. Vous pouvez tout aussi bien proposer des présentations orientées sur le theme de la santé dans les sessions réservées à l’étude d’impact sur l’environnement ou l’étude d’impact social.

Consultez le site site de IAIA13 à l’adresse: http://bit.ly/ViOA4K

Postez en ligne votre résumé de présentation ou de poster à l’adresse: http://bit.ly/YKDdZU

Le programme provisoire de IAIA2013 peut être consulté à l’adresse: http://bit.ly/YuVYSe. Vous y trouverez davantage d’informations sur les évenements et activités relatifs à la santé qui se tiendront dans le cadre de la conference. Consultez s’il vous plait  les pages 13 et 31 (ainsi que la page 26 pour les details sur les formations avancées en pré-conférence).

Si vous avez besoin d’aide pour proposer une intervention ou si vous souhaitez discuter votre proposition, n’hésitez pas à contacter Francesca VILIANI francescav@internationalsos.com ou Ben Harris-Roxas b.harrisroxas@gmail.com

 

IAIA 2013: Invia l’abstract della tua presentazione VIS entro lunedì 31 dicembre 2012

Se sei un professionista affermato o hai appena completato la tua prima valutazione d'impatto sulla salute (VIS), o sei uno studente di salute pubblica che fa ricerca sulla VIS, il tuo contributo e’ il benvenuto a IAIA 2013.

Temi chiave di quest'anno, suggeriti ma non vincolanti, sono 'Le diverse pratiche di VIS' e 'Vecchi problemi e nuove applicazioni’.

La prima sessione, 'Le diversepratiche di VIS', esplora l’esistente varieta’ delle pratiche VIS e i modi in cui la VIS viene utilizzata nel mondo.

La seconda session, 'Vecchi problemi e nuove applicazioni' esplora nuovi approcci per affrontare questioni come l'equità, , il cambiamento climatico, l'efficacia della VIS, la valutazione integrata e la relazione tra la VIS e la valuatione strategica.

Puoi presentare il tuo progetto anche in sessioni non strettamente legate alla tematica VIS ma che coprono temi come cambio climatico, energie alternative, impatto sociale e molto altro.

Scopri di piú su IAIA13 al sito http://www.iaia.org/conferences/iaia13/

Invia il tuo abstract o il tuo poster al http://www.iaia.org/conferenceabstracts/abstract/submit-abstract-email.aspx #

Il programma provvisorio IAIA si trova alla pagina web: http://www.iaia.org/conferences/iaia13/documents/Prelimpro_13% 20web.pdf

Leggi con attenzione le pagine 13 e 31, e pagina 26 per i dettagli sui corso VIS di livello avanzato.

Se desideri altre informationi o vuoi discutere i critieri di partecipazione, contatta Francesca Viliani francescav@internationalsos.com  o Ben Harris-Roxas b.harrisroxas@gmail.com

Gas fracking: do we understand the potential health consequences?

UNEP has just released a new bulletin on Hydrological fracturing (fracking). The document introduces the topic, and then analyses it in the context of climate change and energy consumption needs.  Among the  aspects addressed there are a few very relevant for HIA and public health practitioners. There is also a bibliography for those interested in further information.

Environmental and health concerns
UG exploitation and production may have unavoidable environmental impacts (see Figure 4). Some risks result if the technology is not used adequately, but others will occur despite proper use of technology (EU, 2011). UG production has the potential to generate considerable GHG emissions, can strain water resources, result in water contamination, may have negative impacts on public health (through air and soil contaminants; noise pollution), on biodiversity (through land clearance), food supply (through competition for land and water resources), as well as on soil (pollution, crusting). The sections below further outline the potential environmental and health impacts

Risk on public health

When occurring in densely populated areas, UG production raises several specific threats to well-being. The most direct concern is the risk of explosion from the construction of new pipelines (Rahm, 2011). Other consequences have a slower onset, such as release of toxic substances into air, soil and water. In Texas, emissions from shale gas operations are being checked for contaminants after blood and urine samples taken from household residents near shale wells revealed that toluene was present in 65% of those tested and xylene present in 53% (Rahm 2011). Both of these chemicals are commonly present in fracking fluid and known for being toxic. The biocide substances which are also contained in fracking fluid, and may be released during surface water leaks, can lead to serious damage to the surrounding habitat (IEA, 2012).
More common nuisances include noise pollution, primarily associated with drilling and fracking (which is a non-stop operation over several weeks), but also from truck transport (Rahm, 2011).
Fracturing fluid consists of large amounts of water mixed with chemicals and sand. In most countries the chemicals used in fracking fluid are considered trade secrets (Zoback et al., 2010). If companies are not required to publicly disclose the full list of chemicals used, assessing potential short- and long-term impacts on public health will be difficult. Colborn and others (2011) compiled a list of products (about 1000) used in fracking fluid. They carried out literature review on 353 chemicals and found that "more than 75% of the chemicals could affect the skin, eyes, and other sensory organs, and the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems. Approximately 40–50% could affect the brain/nervous system, immune and cardiovascular systems, and the kidneys; 37% could affect the endocrine system; and 25% could cause cancer and mutations." (Colborn et al., 2011).
Nonylphenol, for example, which is commonly used in fracking fluid, mimics estrogen, and can cause the feminization of fish, even at concentrations not detected by normal monitoring of the fluid (NYS-WRI, 2011). The consequence of the feminization of fish is an imbalance between male and female populations, resulting in a deficit of fertilization and potentially leading to a rapid decline of these fish populations.

Health must be central to climate action

This is the declaration prepared by health and medical organisations during the COP18.  The declaration can be supported by Organisations and Individuals.

Health and medical organisations from around the world are calling for the protection and promotion of health to be made the one of the central priorities of global and national policy responses to climate change.

The protection of health and welfare is one of the central rationales for reducing emissions in Article One of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Article Four requires all countries to consider the health implications of climate adaptation and mitigation. Yet health is being overlooked in the development of responses to climate change, and its importance undervalued by policymakers, business and the media.

Human health and wellbeing is a basic human right and contributes to economic and social development. It is fundamentally dependent on stable, functioning ecosystems and a healthy biosphere.  These foundations for health are at risk from climate change and ecological degradation.

Health as a driver for mitigation and adaptation

The impact of climate change on health is one of the most significant measures of harm associated with our warming planet. Protecting health is therefore one of the most important motivations for climate action.

Climate change is affecting human health in multiple ways: both direct – through extreme weather events, food and water insecurity and infectious diseases – and indirect – through economic instability, migration and as a driver of conflict.
The risks to health from climate change are very large and will affect all populations, but particularly children, women and poorer people and those in developing nations.  Urgent and sustained emissions reductions as well as effective adaptation are needed.
Climate action can deliver many benefits to health worldwide. Reducing fossil fuel consumption simultaneously improves air quality and improves public health.  Shifting to cleaner, safer, low carbon energy systems will save millions of lives each year.  Moving to more active lifestyles and expansion of and access to public transport systems can improve health through increased physical activity and reduced air pollution.  Improving insulation in homes and buildings can protect people from extreme temperatures and reduce energy consumption. All of these changes will provide significant economic savings. Climate action that recognises these benefits can improve the health of individuals and communities, support resilient and sustainable development, and improve global equity.

What we seek from climate action

Recognising health in all policies and strengthening health systems globally can advance human rights and help create safe, resilient, adaptable, and sustainable communities.   

We call for:

1.       The health impacts of climate change to be taken into account domestically and globally

•Health impacts and co-benefits to be fully evaluated, costed and reflected in all domestic, regional and global climate decisions on both mitigation and adaptation;
•Health and environmental costs to be reflected in corporate and national accounts;
•Assessment of loss and damage from climate change to include impacts on human health, wellbeing and community resilience, as well as impacts to health care infrastructure and systems;

2.       Investment in climate mitigation and adaptation to be significantly increased on a rapid timescale

•Priority given to decarbonisation of national and global energy supplies;
•Cessation of fossil fuel subsidies globally and greater funding for renewable and clean technologies;
•Funding for programs to support and protect health in vulnerable countries to be significantly increased;
•Investment in adaptation and mitigation programs that can demonstrate health benefits to be substantially increased;    

3.       The health sector and the community to be engaged and informed on climate action

•The health sector to be engaged and included in the processes of designing and leading climate mitigation and adaptation worldwide;
• National and global education programs to increase public awareness of the health effects of climate change and promote the health co-benefits of low carbon pathways; and
•More inclusive consultation processes in global climate negotiations to reflect the views of young people, women and indigenous people.

Our Future

Human health is profoundly threatened by our global failure to halt emissions growth and curb climate change. As representatives of health communities around the world, we argue that strategies to achieve rapid and sustained emissions reductions and protect health must be implemented in a time frame to avert further loss and damage.
We recognise that this will require exceptional courage and leadership from our political, business and civil society leaders, including the health sector; acceptance from the global community about the threats to health posed by our current path; and a willingness to act to realise the many benefits of creating low carbon, healthy, sustainable and resilient societies.

Free Online Training! WHO/Europe Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT) for walking and cycling

WHO/Europe’s Health Economic Assessment Tool (HEAT) for walking and cycling is an online resource to estimate the economic savings resulting from reductions in mortality as a consequence of regular cycling and/or walking (see www.heatwalkingcycling.org). HEAT can be used by walking and cycling campaigners, researchers and policymakers alike. It enables users to estimate the value to health of new infrastructure, policies or programmes. These can be used to make the case for new investment, or as inputs to comprehensive health impact assessments.

To help people in the use of this tool, WHO/Europe is now offering online training sessions on the following dates:
•         30 November 2012
•         14 December 2012
•         14 January 2013
•         22 February 2013
•         15 March 2013

All sessions will start at 15:00 Central European Time, and will last approximately one hour. During this time you will be walked through an example of HEAT, and be able to ask questions online to experts on HEAT.

Please register by sending an e-mail to training@heatwalkingcycling.org stating:
•         The date of the session you wish to join
•         Any details of ways that you have used the HEAT
•         Any specific questions you would like addressed during the training

We will then send you details of how to log on and access the training session in due time.

Please feel free to forward this message to other colleagues or mailing lists of possibly interested HEAT users.

Kind regards,
Christian Schweizer
Technical Officer, Transport and Health
Division of Communicable Diseases, Health Security and Environment
World Health Organization - Regional Office for Europe

WHIASU Guest Post: Revisiting health impact assessment guidance in Wales

Guest post by Liz Green, Principal HIA Development Officer, Wales HIA Support Unit/Public Health Wales

On 1st November 2012, the Wales Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU) published new health impact assessment Guidance.  HIA: A Practical Guide replaced the original HIA Guide published in 2004 ‘Improving Health and Reducing Inequalities:  A Practical Guide to HIA’.  There were a number of reasons that the Unit (and Welsh Government) wanted and needed to not only revise the first edition but substantially add to it and enhance its ability to inform, influence and support a wide range of citizens, communities and organisations in the practice of health impact assessment in Wales (and beyond).

It is over 10 years since the establishment of a dedicated HIA Unit in Wales.  WHIASU embodies the partnership of a public health organisation (Public Health Wales) with the academic, social science based research expertise of Cardiff University and recognises the importance of developing the process in practice whilst researching its impact, influence and its important role in developing a broad health and wellbeing consciousness.  Since 2001, much has changed - including the increasing number of political drivers and policies which advocate for the use of HIA and a consideration of ‘Health in All Policies’ and the restructuring of public health in Wales.  It was an appropriate time to reflect on and revisit the guidance, amend and update it.

Although not a statutory requirement in Wales, HIA is now recommended as best practice as a method of considering health and wellbeing in a wide range of sectors – including traditionally ‘non health’ domains such as transport, waste and land use planning and regeneration. It has also been a mandatory requirement for all open cast mining developments since 2009.   Therefore, the Unit needed to provide easily accessible, relevant information, advice and links to resources an for not only the increasing number of communities, policy makers, practitioners and organisations who are subsequently interested in HIA but to also provide a modern, theoretical and practical document for the increasing number of private consultants commissioned to undertake HIA’s in Wales.  WHIASU has become increasingly called upon to provide guidance, advice and some support to these paid private consultants of HIA’s - but as a publicly funded resource it is neither within our remit nor with limited capacity could we fulfil this role in a sustainable way – and the new guide has been developed to partly address this.

The publication of a new guide is also a response to the knowledge and expertise accumulated from the rapid increase in the number of HIA’s that have been conducted in Wales.  Since 2004, over 100 HIA’s of differing levels, scale and scope have been completed.  Each one has contributed to the practice and development of HIA and given us insight into the process and new and more appropriate tools and resources to support it have been developed.  New screening tools, checklists and methods of working and participation have been created and this knowledge has been condensed into ‘HIA: A Practical Guide’.  The information contained within it is accessible but also provides some more advanced context and resources (within a reasonably short document).  These include topics that WHIASU is frequently requested to advise on - such as commissioning HIA’s, citizen involvement in and community led HIA’s and the quantification of impacts.  This is in recognition of the ever increasing number of policy makers and practitioners in Wales who have been involved in and contributed to HIA’s, and who need to build on that basic knowledge and develop it further.  For example, the Unit is regularly asked to quality assure HIA’s that have been completed and by providing context and tools for consultants, local public health teams and communities in tandem with some advice, it has allowed the Unit to focus on other aspects of training, development and research work.

Research has been a core element of WHIASU’s role in developing capacity and improving the practice of HIA in Wales and this learning has also shaped the new guide.  Many of WHIASU’s academic papers and reports have drawn on the experiences of HIA’s undertaken at different levels, reflecting different concerns, and involving combinations of different sectors.  Research is also important in informing individual HIAs and the findings from these reports have sometimes had wider influence and impact.  For instance,  the Margam Opencast Mining HIA  not only influenced a local planning decision  but it also triggered planning guidance for the use of participatory HIA as part of all opencast applications in Wales.  Other papers by the Unit focus on community and citizen involvement in HIA as a way of developing ‘civic intelligence’ and creating ‘new knowledge spaces’ for health improvement.  WHIASU also recognises the need to provide useful and timely resources to inform decisions in a rapidly changing social and economic environment and stand alone working papers and guidance documents that that Unit has produced includes a report on the impact of the economic downturn in Wales, an overview of public participation in HIA, and best practice reports on opencast mining and waste technologies.

Finally, although the Unit has the WHIASU website and regularly shares published reports, work and research – much of it is still invisible.  The guide has been an excellent way of disseminating some of this tacit knowledge.

Health Day at the next IAIA conference in Calgary, get engaged!

The health section is proud to announce the special Health Day “The science and art of international HIA practice” at the next IAIA conference in Calgary,

HIA has established itself as a widespread, credible and useful activity that is conducted in increasingly sophisticated ways. This field’s focus has moved beyond describing HIA and how it can be used, to more nuanced understandings of HIA methods and their impacts on decision-making and implementation.

HIA is forum for dialogue across disciplines and stakeholders, ensuring decisions that affect health outcomes are influenced at the conception phases, rather than treating the problems at a later date. However the nuanced challenges encountered while conducting HIA have not been widely disseminated by the HIA community. The development of the field is hampered by this lack of collective exchange and learning about the practice of HIA.

The current diversity of HIA practice will continue to enable a disparate range of HIA-related activities but more needs to be done to facilitate the dialogue across HIA practices as well as across Impact Assessments.

 In this health day, HIA practitioners will reflect on what we have learned through the application of HIA, and how HIA has to evolve to be better fit for the challenges ahead. The objective is not to reinvent HIA, but concerns translating the practice of practitioners from different backgrounds and geographical settings, through sharing knowledge, to better HIA practice. The International Association for Impact Assessment is the natural place for a thoughtful and productive discussion about the future development of HIA in a changing world.

Consistent with the Calgary theme the health section want to promote this discussion among HIA practitioners with the input of other impact assessment experts. The health day start with a theme forum with internationally renowned speakers, followed by two kaleidoscopic paper sessions and a final discussion workshop. But there are plenty of other health related events.

What next? check the preliminary program on line, follow us for updates, and get ready for the conference.

Hope to see you all in Calgary!

Pollution need to be considered an urgency as other health threats

“The World’s Worst Pollution Problems” Assessing Health Risks at Hazardous Waste Sites report has just been releases and reveals that close to 125 million people are at risk from toxic pollution across 49 low to middle-income countries. Also, the report, for the first time estimates the total global burden of disease attributed to toxic pollution from industrial sites in these countries. Blacksmith Institute found that the public health impact of industrial pollutants, measured in DALYs, is the same or higher than some of the most dangerous diseases worldwide. Below is a comparison of the DALYs for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria to the DALYs from industrial pollutants.

Industrial Pollutants	17.147.600
Tuberculosis	25.041.000
HIV/AIDS	28.933.000
Malaria	14.252.000

The substances included are lead, chromium, mercury, and asbestos. The Top Ten industrial sources are: lead-acid battery recycling, lead smelting, mining and ore processing, tanneries, industrial and municipal dump sites, industrial estates, artisanal gold mining, product and chemical manufacturing, and the dye industry.

The lancet editorial rightly call the international health community to become more active in tackling and addressing hazardous substance pollution to achieve healthy and sustainable development worldwide.

New Welsh Health Impact Assessment Guidance

The Wales Health Impact Assessment Support Unit (WHIASU) is pleased to announce the publication of the new health impact assessment (HIA) guidance for Wales.

‘HIA: A Practical Guide’ replaces the previous guidance ‘Improving Health and Reducing Inequalities: A Practical Guide to HIA’ and contains new and updated resources, information and links to evidence and practice.  It gives policy makers and practitioners alike an overview of the Welsh approach to HIA and includes background policy context as much as practical information.  It is now available at www.whiasu.wales.nhs.uk.

The guide has several new sections including the role of community knowledge and stakeholders HIA, quantification and qualitative methods of assessing health and wellbeing impacts and provides new resources such as Screening Appraisal and Scoping Checklists, ‘How to Commission a HIA’ and ‘Quality Assuring a HIA’.  These are all available as individually downloadable documents distinct from the main guide.
Hard copies are also available should you require them.  Please email Liz Green, Liz.green@wales.nhs.uk or Chloe Chadderton, Chaddertonc@cardiff.ac.uk.

Funding announced for Denver metro region

The Health Impact Project, with support from Kaiser Permanente Colorado, will fund one health impact assessment (HIA) program grant, of up to $250,000, for applicants in the Denver metropolitan region. The award will support:

• At least two HIAs. Preference will be given to proposals that address transportation-related policies, projects, and plans. This includes land-use decisions related to transportation projects, such as transit oriented design. But, applicants are not limited to this sector.

• A tailored, two-day HIA training for the grantee and their stakeholders, as well as ongoing mentoring and technical assistance throughout the grant period.

• The development and implementation of a sustainability plan that establishes the relationships, systems, and funding mechanisms needed to maintain a stable HIA program that endures beyond the grant period.

• Participation in the Health Impact Project’s national HIA program grant learning community comprised of all HIA program grants funded under this round.

• Attendance at the September 2013 annual Grantee and National HIA Meetings in Washington, D.C., which will provide grantees an opportunity to meet, collaborate, and solve challenging questions that arise during their projects, as well as learn from leading HIA practitioners.

• No prior HIA experience is necessary to be eligible for this HIA Program grant. Training, technical assistance, and mentoring will be provided throughout the grant period.

• HIAs on transportation-related topics will be given preference. This includes land-use decisions related to transportation projects, such as transit oriented design. But, proposals are not limited to this policy area.

***NOTE: All eligible HIA program grant applicants from the Denver metro region that have already applied to the Health Impact Project’s national call for proposals (CFP) process will automatically be considered for the Kaiser Permanente Colorado grant opportunity.

Two differences of note between this funding opportunity and the Health Impact Project’s current national CFP include:

The Health Impact Project will host a conference call for potential applicants on October 18 at 2 p.m. MT. Registration is required.

Applications for the Kaiser Permanente Colorado Denver metropolitan HIA program grant opportunity are due Wednesday, October 31, 2012, at 5 p.m. MT.  

Visit the Health Impact Project Funding Opportunities page to learn more about the announcement and to begin the online application process.

Courtesy of Aaron Wernham, Health Impact Project

Health Impact Assessment: A triumph over common sense?

I'm giving a plenary talk at the 4th Asia Pacific Health Impact Assessment Conference in Seoul this week. I've attached the slides, a detailed paper and abstract below. It may be a little niche but hopefully some of you will be interested.

Health Impact Assessment: A triumph over common sense? from Ben Harris-Roxas

Download the detailed paper of the talk (21 pages PDF)

Abstract Evaluations of health impact assessments (HIAs) have highlighted its potential impacts on decision-making, implementation and broader factors such as intersectoral collaboration (Harris-Roxas et al. 2011, Harris-Roxas et al. 2012b, Wismar et al. 2007). Tensions often arise between stakeholders about the outcomes of HIAs however. Studies that have looked at this have found that there are:

• Often disagreements between stakeholders about the perceived purpose of the HIA and what form it should take (Harris-Roxas et al. 2012a, Harris-Roxas & Harris 2011); and
• The perception that an HIA’s recommendations could have been identified through normal planning and implementation processes and that the HIA didn’t necessarily have to be conducted (Harris-Roxas et al. 2011). In other words, that an HIA’s recommendations are “common sense”.

These two issues, about the perceived purpose of HIA and the “common sense” nature of HIAs’ recommendations, lie at the heart of any discussion of the HIA effectiveness. These issues have also been under-explored in the literature to date. This plenary will present initial findings from a study that looked at two decision-support equity-focused HIAs of similar health sector proposals (local health service obesity prevention and treatment service plans) longitudinally. This involved conducting 23 semi-structured interviews with key stakeholders before, during and after the HIAs, and document reviews. One of the HIAs was completed while the other one was screened and determined to be unnecessary. This study is unique in relation to HIA to the authors’ knowledge, because it looks at expectations and perceptions of effectiveness before and after the HIAs were completed. It also compares two similar planning situations, one in which an HIA was conducted and one in which the HIA was screened out.

The study’s findings highlight that while many of the recommendations and distal impacts of an HIA (Harris-Roxas & Harris 2012) could notionally be anticipated through common sense analysis, in practice they are rarely foreseen. A similar phenomenon has been demonstrated in other fields such as organisational psychology and management (Orrell 2007, Watts 2011). This study also highlights the critical role that learning plays in impact assessment practice (Morgan 2012, Bond & Pope 2012). This learning takes three forms: technical, conceptual and participatory (Harris & Harris-Roxas 2010, Glasbergen 1999). Learning may also take place at individual, organisational and social levels. This suggests that “common sense” is anything but common in the real world of planning and decision-making, and for good reasons. What seems obvious in hindsight is rarely apparent in advance. HIA, as a structured process for looking at under-considered impacts, has an important role to play in moving beyond common sense towards broader learning and more nuanced analyses of alternatives.

Why tackling inequality in the current financial situation remains important

Two different views and researches on the importance of cohesion and reducing inequalities. A study conducted by NCoC in partnership with other organisations, explores the relationship between civic engagement and economic resilience. It finds that the density and type of nonprofit organizations in a community, as well as its social cohesion, are important predictors of that community’s ability to withstand unemployment in a recession. The study identifies two main types of civic health that seem to matter most. One is the role of nonprofit organizations. The number of nonprofits per capita and the degree to which they directly engage local residents are both related to the unemployment rate. The other factor is social cohesion: interacting with friends and neighbors. Each type of civic engagement is separately valuable for preventing unemployment increases.

Nobel Prize winner and previous World Bank chief economist, Prof. Joseph Stiglitz was interviewed by the  German weekly The Spiegel on the raising inequality in the United States:  "the American dream has become a myth. The life chances of a young US citizen are more dependent on the income and education of his parents than in any other advanced industrial country for which there is data. The belief in the American dream is reinforced by anecdotes, by dramatic examples of individuals who have made it from the bottom to the top -- but what matters most are an individual's life chances. The belief in the American dream is not supported by the data." In June, Stilglitz published a book on the same topic "The price of inequality: how today's divided society endangers our future". Stiglitz focus on the financial and econonimical aspects leading to inequality, but he uses several health examples in his book. 

Towards noiseless turbines?

At the IAIA conference in Portugal we hosted a session on Community Responses to New Energy Sources. There were very interesting case studies of wind turbine projects in Australia and in the Netherlands (see the posts of May on this blog).

Wind energy is a constantly growing source of alternative energy worldwide and while it is accepted as green alternative to the usual coal and fossil fuels, local communities are not so supportive of wind parks in their backyard. Indeed deciding where to place wind turbines is a major challenge in the decision making process and one of the complaints often made by local inhabitants is noise.

A recent study reviews recent advances in the area of noise pollution from wind turbines. “To date, there have been many different noise control studies. While there are many different sources of noise, the main one is aerodynamic noise. The largest contributor to aerodynamic noise comes from the trailing edge of wind turbine blades. The aim of this paper is to critically analyse and compare the different methods currently being implemented and investigated to reduce noise production from wind turbines, with a focus on the noise generated from the trailing edge.”

The discussion is not over and community acceptance of new energy will remain a topic at the next conference in Calgary

Japanese Health Impact Assessment Practice

Guest post by Michiko Hoshiko

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is not yet a routine part of public decision-making in Japan, though there are an increasing number of examples of HIA’s use.

Before any regulatory assessment measure can be adopted in Japan it’s necessary to demonstrate its economy, efficiency and effectiveness, so this forms the focus of much current HIA activity. In 2011 the Japanese Public Health Association produced guidance on HIA ¹⁾, focusing on how to do it.

The Kurume University School of Medicine and the University of Occupational Environmental Health have been centres for the development of HIA in Japan to date. The case studies below describe some of the HIAs and research that has been conducted.

Kurume University School of Medicine

1) Health impact assessment of the transition to a core city in Japan²⁾

The city of Kurume became a core city in 2008, which is a more autonomous level of regional government that some cities in Japan are eligible for. A core city requires a population at least 300,000 people and allows the transfer of administrative authority from prefecture to more independent municipal government. A rapid HIA was conducted on the transition to a core city because potential health impacts were identified for public servants in Kurume as well as residents.

2) Assessing the validity of health impact assessment predictions regarding a Japanese city’s transition to core city status: A monitoring review³⁾

The validity of health impact assessment predictions has not been accurately assessed comparing predictions with subsequent data. An HIA into the transition of Kurume to a core city was conducted before the transition, but the recommendations were not accepted and adopted by city officials. A monitoring review was performed one year after the transition to guage the accuracy of the HIA predictions by evaluating the correlation between the predicted impacts and what ended up happening.

3) Prioritization of health impact assessment on the management transformation of a municipal hospital in Japan

Municipal hospitals in Japan are currently facing a serious eonomic management crisis because of operating deficits and doctor shortages. Unprofitable departments, including obstetrics and paediatrics, have been closed at some hospitals, which has caused controversy in a number of local communities. The aim of our study was to examine the health-related impacts of management and service changes at a municipal hospital close to the Kurume University School of Medicine on residents, patients, and hospital staff.

4) Development of a Health Impact Assessment Screening Tool for Use at the Municipal Level⁴⁾

The aim of this study was to make an HIA screening tool for use at the municipal level in Japan. The HIA screening checklist is versatile and applicable across a range of projects. The intended users are municipal officers and as such we wanted it to be short and usable.

University of Occupational Environmental Health)

5) Development of HIA screening tools for policies and projects⁵⁾⁶⁾

In screening you try to identify as many potential health impacts as possible. This should include not only scientific knowledge but also “lay knowledge” that incorporates information such as the anxieties and fears of stakeholders. This screening tool allows stakeholders to participate in the identification of potential health impacts and to characterize them in terms of being positive and negative, as well as their potential severity. This is then used in the decision to proceed with the HIA or not.

6) HIA of closing a research laboratory⁷⁾

Due to changes in the economic climate a major laboratory for an international corporation was closed. An HIA was conducted to look at the potential impacts on workers, who are both domestic and come from overseas.

7) HIA for introducing for reemployment system after retirement⁸⁾

Japan is facing a rapidly ageing population, with reduced birth rates and the retirement of the post-war Baby Boomers. A number of companies have reintroduced “re-employment” shemes for workers who have already retired to address workforce shortages. This HIA looked at the potential positive and negative health impacts of re-employment schemes.

The Prosperity of Cities is closely linked to a notion of development which include equity and environmental sustainability

Development actors need to explore a more inclusive notion of prosperity and development, finds new UN-Habitat report The State of the World’s Cities 2012/2013: The Prosperity of Cities.

According to the report, there is a need for a shift in attention around the world in favour of a MORE ROBUST NOTION OF DEVELOPMENT – one that looks beyond the narrow domain of economic growth that has dominated ill-balanced policy agendas over the last decades, and includes other vital dimensions such as quality of life, adequate infrastructures, equity and environmental sustainability.

“In this Report, UN-Habitat advocates for a new type of city – the city of the 21st century – that is a „good‟, people centred city,” said Dr Joan Clos, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat.

“The cities of the future should be ones that are capable of integrating the tangible and more intangible aspects of prosperity, in the process shedding off the inefficient, unsustainable forms and functionalities of the city of the previous century or so and becoming the engine rooms of growth and development.”

The CITY OF THE 21ST CENTURY:

·         Reduces disaster risks and vulnerabilities for the poor and build resilience to adverse forces of nature.

·         Creates harmony between the five dimensions of prosperity and enhances the prospects for a better future.

·         Stimulates local job creation, promotes social diversity, maintains a sustainable environment and recognizes the importance of public spaces.

·         Comes with a change of pace, profile and urban functions and provides the social, political and economic conditions of prosperity.

The UNISDR report "Making Cities Resilient 2012 -- My city is getting ready! A global snapshot of how local governments reduce disaster risk" complements UN-HABITAT’s findings. Margareta Wahlström, Head, UNISDR, said that several elements used by UN-HABITAT to assess city prosperity, such as equity and good governance, also bolster disaster resilience. "The findings from our own studies on cities show that low socio-economic development need not necessarily limit all resilience-building activities, especially when the central government and multilateral agencies work together to ensure the right people come together to take action," said Wahlström said

Newletter from CREIS focusing on Quebec conference

The third newsletter is dedicated to the HIA International Congress held last August in Quebec, Canada. But it does have also other interesting news on HIA and it is published in spanish.

Find the newsletter here

Health Impact Project Grant Funding: Deadline Extension!

From Aaron Wernham,

We hope everyone’s back from Labor Day refreshed.  The first big news is that we are extending the deadline for the open call for proposals.

HIA Program Grants: Brief proposal due Friday, September 28

Demonstration Projects: Full proposal due Friday, October 12

We hope the extra two weeks will allow applicants that have been traveling over the summer an opportunity to submit high quality HIA proposals. We look forward to reading them.

If you’re planning to apply, but haven’t yet, we strongly encourage you to start your application. Creating an account in the online system will give you access to details, instructions, and other information that you will need. 

Please also check out all the resources on our funding opportunities page, including frequently asked questions, and recordings of the webinars.

[Sal's Editor's Note: If you are in the US and you are thinking of doing a HIA then you really must apply. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.Someone has to get that money; it might as well be you.]