1. Health Impact Assessment HIA Forum 28 th October 2008 Teresa Lavin Public Health Development Officer www.publichealth.ie

2. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) A combination of procedures, methods and tools by which a policy, programme 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 1999

3. Social Model of Health

4. Holistic understanding of health “Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. WHO 1946 “There is no health without mental health. Mental health is central to the human, social and economic capital of nations and should therefore be considered as an integral and essential part of other public policy areas such as human rights, social care, education and employment”. WHO European Declaration on Mental Health, 2005

5. Aims of HIA Raise awareness among decision makers of the relationship between health and the physical, social and economic environments Maximise opportunities for health improvement and minimise the likelihood of adverse health effects when new policies, plans and projects are being developed Help those who will be affected by the proposal to participate in policy formation and contribute to decision making

6. HIA process Screening Scoping Appraisal Forming recommendations Monitoring and evaluation Evidence from local area and elsewhere using Qualitative and quantitative methods Analyse impacts Prioritise impacts

7. Support for HIA International EU Treaty & Public Health Strategy WHO European Observatory Healthy Cities Network (includes Belfast) Northern Ireland Investing for Health

8. IPH work in HIA Skills development: Broad range of opportunities from awareness raising to comprehensive training Information: Health impact reviews series; Website Partnerships: HIA network; HIA forum; HIA conference Practice: Active involvement in HIAs currently being undertaken

9. Examples of HIAs in Ireland West Tyrone Area Plan Air Quality Action Plan for Belfast Dove Gardens Housing Estate, Derry Adult Homeless Strategy Limerick Regeneration Proposal Traveller Accommodation in Cork Traffic and Transport in Ballyfermot Local Area Plan in Donegal

10. Further information W: http://www.publichealth.ie/hiahttp://www.publichealth.ie/hia E: Teresa.Lavin@publichealth.ieTeresa.Lavin@publichealth.ie Claire.Higgins@publichealth.ie www.publichealth.ie