Seminar and Webcast - Thu 7th Mar 2013: Life expectancy and healthy life expectancy on the island of Ireland

What do we know about the gap between life expectancy and healthy life expectancy on the island of Ireland? Report Launch

The Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) in association with the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI) will launch a report which focuses on what we can learn from the data on the island of Ireland about health expectancies. Attendance is free and the launch will also be available as a live webcast.

Date:	7 March 2013
Time:	12pm-1pm
Venue:	Institute of Public Health in Ireland, Forestview, Belfast BT8 7ZX
Chair:	Professor Bob Stout

Programme:

11.45am	Registration with tea and coffee
12.00pm	Introduction Professor Bob Stout, Co-Chair of CARDI
12.05pm	Policy context with respect to healthy ageing Dr Roger O’Sullivan, CARDI
12.10pm	Presentation of results and findings Ms Lorraine Fahy, IPH
12.30pm	Discussion
1.00pm	End with light lunch.

Register your interest in attending this event or participating in the webcast by
Monday 4 March 2013 to either:

Dublin: Suzanne Kirk The Institute of Public Health in Ireland Telephone: +353 1 478 6300 Fax: + 353 1 478 6319 Email: suzanne.kirk@publichealth.ie

Belfast:
Leah Friend
The Institute of Public Health in Ireland
Telephone: +44 28 9064 8494
Fax: +44 28 9064 6604
Email: leah.friend@publichealth.ie

Click here to find us - http://www.publichealth.ie/belfastmap

Further information can be found on the websites www.thehealthwell.info and www.publichealth.ie

Video on the health impacts of the Minneapolis-St. Paul Light Rail Project

From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which funded a health impact assessment of the project in conjunction with the Pew Charitable Trusts as part of the Health Impact Project.

Great HIA job opportunity with the US Health Impact Project

Senior Associate with the Health Impact Project based in Washington DC, job listing here. Looks like a good opportunity.

Annual Health in All Local Policies and Health Impact Assessment Courses in New Zealand

 

Promoting Wellbeing Through Local Government Policy-making 
This course aims to strengthen the promotion of wellbeing by local government and the health sector. It does so by advancing knowledge and understanding of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and Health in All Policies (HiAP) approaches and by advancing skill in using them in local government policy-making.

Course dates: Thursday 14 & Friday 15 February, 2013.

Teaching staff include:
Dr Caroline Miller (Senior Lecturer in the Resource and Environmental Planning Programme, Massey University).
Shadrack Rolleston (Senior Planner, BECA).
Associate Professor Louise Signal (Director of the HIA Research Unit, University of Otago, Wellington).
Robert Quigley (HIA Consultant, Quigley and Watts Ltd and Director of the HIA Research Unit, University of Otago).

Click here for more information about this course.


Introduction to Health Impact Assessment
This is a foundation course that provides an introduction to the practical methods and tools for the use of HIA. The course aims to introduce participants to an innovative way to strengthen wellbeing, health and equity in policy making at local, regional and national levels. HIA is a process that aids decision-making by predicting the potential effects of policies, programmes and projects on wellbeing, health and equity. Participants who complete this foundation course also often enrol in 'Promoting Wellbeing Through Local Government Policy-making' (described above) to further extend their practical skills and knowledge.

Course dates: Thursday 7 & Friday 8 February, 2013.

Teaching staff include:
Associate Professor Louise Signal (Director of the HIA Research Unit, University of Otago, Wellington).
Robert Quigley (HIA Consultant, Quigley and Watts Ltd and Director of the HIA Research Unit, University of Otago).

Click here for more information about this course.

For more information about 2013 Summer School including a full list of the 32 courses on offer, visit the website.

Health inequalities podcast worth listening to

I recommend this short 40min podcast on health inequalities by Dennis Raphael from podsocs, the Griffith University social workers podcast series. It raised a few things that I hadn't thought about in quite that way.

Health Inequalities, in conversation with Dennis Raphael

http://www.podsocs.com/podcast/health-inequalities/

So what are health inequalities? How do government policies influence whether we improve a nation’s health or make it worse? These and other questions are tackled by Dennis Raphael in this Podsocs episode.

Dennis Raphael, PhD, is a Professor of Health Policy and Management at York University in Toronto. The most recent of his over 150 scientific publications have focused on the health effects of income inequality and poverty, the quality of life of communities and individuals, and the impact of government decisions on Canadians' health and well-being. 

Dr. Raphael is editor of "Social Determinants of Health: Canadian Perspectives" (now in 2nd edition), co-editor of "Staying Alive: Critical Perspectives on Health, Illness, and Health Care" (now in 2nd edition) and author of "Poverty in Canada: Implications for Health and Quality of Life", all published by Canadian Scholars' Press. "Health Promotion and Quality of Life in Canada: Essential Readings", an edited collection was released in January 2010 and "About Canada: Health and Illness" has been published by Fernwood Publishers. "Social Determinants of Health: The Canadian Facts" (co-author) is a primer for the Canadian public has been downloaded over 100,000 times. His latest book "Tackling Health Inequalities: Lessons from International Experiences" was published November 1, 2012. Find links to these publications in references below.

via Alex Scott-Samuel

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.