Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in Ireland and the role of local government

O'Mullane, Monica; Quinlivan, Aodh

doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2011.08.004

Cited by 12 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…These impact evaluations were done by investigators associated with conducting the original HIAs, except for the 4 HIAs in Ireland (29). A New Zealand website has a list of 13 individual HIA impact evaluations (45), but it does not synthesize the common findings across those evaluations.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessments: A Synthesis of Data From Five Impact Evaluation Reports

Dannenberg¹

2016

Prev. Chronic Dis.

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IntroductionSince the 1990s, the use of health impact assessments (HIAs) has grown for considering the potential health impacts of proposed policies, plans, programs, and projects in various sectors. Evaluation of HIA impacts is needed for understanding the value of HIAs, improving the methods involved in HIAs, and potentially expanding their application. Impact evaluations examine whether HIAs affect decisions and lead to other effects.MethodsI reviewed HIA impact evaluations identified by literature review and professional networking. I abstracted and synthesized data on key findings, success factors, and challenges from 5 large evaluations conducted in the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand and published from 2006 through 2015. These studies analyzed impacts of approximately 200 individual HIAs.ResultsMajor impacts of HIAs were directly influencing some decisions, improving collaboration among stakeholders, increasing awareness of health issues among decision makers, and giving community members a stronger voice in local decisions. Factors that contributed to successful HIAs included engaging stakeholders, timeliness, policy and systems support for conducting HIAs, having people with appropriate skills on the HIA team, obtaining the support of decision makers, and providing clearly articulated, feasible recommendations. Challenges that may have reduced HIA success were poor timeliness, underestimation of time and resources needed, difficulty in accessing relevant data, use of jargon in HIA reports, difficulty in involving decision makers in the HIA process, and absence of a requirement to conduct HIAs.ConclusionHIAs can be useful to promote health and mitigate adverse impacts of decisions made outside of the health sector. Stakeholder interactions and community engagement may be as important as direct impacts of HIAs. Multiple factors are required for HIA success. Further work could strengthen the role of HIAs in promoting equity, examine HIA impacts in specific sectors, and document the role of HIAs in a “health in all policies” approach.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessments: A Synthesis of Data From Five Impact Evaluation Reports

Dannenberg¹

2016

Prev. Chronic Dis.

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“…However, the ways in which its values, principles, and methodological approaches are implemented and integrated in the decision-making process depend on a variety of factors [ 7 , 9 , 19 ]. Some factors relate to stakeholders’ commitment, ownership, and capacity to remove barriers between sectors [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. Others are linked to the implementation process and, more particularly, to the degree of HIA integration in decision-making processes and to the nature of the pending decision [ 21 , 23 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comparative Analysis of Health Impact Assessment Implementation Models in the Regions of Montérégie (Québec, Canada) and Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France)

Jabot

Tremblay

Rivadeneyra

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Many countries have introduced health impact assessment (HIA) at the national, regional, or local levels. In France and in Québec, there is increasing interest in using HIA to inform decision-makers and influence policies, programs, and projects. This paper aims to compare HIA implementation models in two regions: Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France) and Montérégie (Québec, Canada) using a case study methodology. The objective is to gain a better understanding of the similarities and differences in the approaches used to achieve the operationalization of HIA. The methodological approach involves four steps: (1) design of an analytical framework based on the literature; (2) exchanges within the research team and review of documents concerning the two implementation strategies under study; (3) development of the case studies based on the proposed framework; and (4) cross-comparison analysis of the case studies. The findings show that the two regions share certain similarities, including the strong commitment and political will of the public health organizations involved and a well-established culture of engaging in intersectoral action with municipal partners. Differences mainly concern their different approaches to implementing HIAs in accordance with the regional policies and the organizational and administrative contexts in place. This study identifies potential avenues for supporting the practice of HIA at the municipal level.

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“…transport, education, housing) can affect the health of the population, HIA aims to inform decision-makers in their choice of alternatives to maximize positive and mitigate negative health impacts or actively promote health [ 1 - 3 ]. HIA has shown positive effects on intersectoral collaboration and strategic planning considering the health and wellbeing of the population [ 4 , 5 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Results from more recent international studies show similar results. They have also shown how HIA influenced decision-making in the development of local projects or policy, specifically in relation to the integration recommendations from the HIA and with improvement of intersectoral collaboration [ 4 , 5 , 15 , 16 ]. More specifically, in New Zealand, one study revealed positive direct effects from the HIA on the development of the urban development plan, wherein nearly two-thirds of the recommendations were included in the final plan [ 4 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the effects of health impact assessment practice at the local level in Monteregie

Nour

Dutilly-Simard

Brousselle

et al. 2016

Health Res Policy Sys

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BackgroundIn Quebec (Canada), the Monteregie Regional Public Health Department has chosen to use health impact assessment (HIA) to support municipalities through a knowledge exchange and collaborative process in order to positively influence decision-making regarding local policies and projects. The value of HIA is becoming increasingly recognized by municipalities interested in planning and managing their cities with an eco-systemic perspective. However, the knowledge and tools which support the use of the HIA at regional and local levels are still missing.MethodsThe general objective is to evaluate the impact the collaborative HIA process used in Monteregie has had on the formulation, adoption and implementation of policies and projects favourable to health. The methodology is based on Mayne’s CA design, which allows the identification of factors which contribute to a change process. It is described as one of the best approaches to reduce uncertainty regarding the observed results and the contribution of a program. All of the HIA processes realised between January 2013 and January 2016 in Monteregie will be studied following a case study strategy. Study populations include regional and local public health professionals, municipal officers and community members implicated in these HIAs. Various qualitative and quantitative methods will be used, including examination of documentation, observations on the city grounds, and individual or group interviews. A model of change will be constructed for each HIA process and will present the logical pathway which leads to the observed results, alternative explanations and hypothesises as to why these results were obtained, and contextual factors that could have influenced them. This model will allow the production of a refined contribution story for each HIA. A convergence and divergence analysis will be completed in order to identify differences or similitudes between the different HIAs studied.DiscussionIn addition to contributing to the production of knowledge in relation to the collaborative model of HIA, this research project will allow other regional and local public health actors and municipalities of Quebec or other decision-making and political bodies to understand the usefulness of this approach for the improvement of population health and well-being.

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Health Impact Assessment (HIA) in Ireland and the role of local government

Cited by 12 publications

References 14 publications

Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessments: A Synthesis of Data From Five Impact Evaluation Reports

Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessments: A Synthesis of Data From Five Impact Evaluation Reports

A Comparative Analysis of Health Impact Assessment Implementation Models in the Regions of Montérégie (Québec, Canada) and Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France)

Evaluation of the effects of health impact assessment practice at the local level in Monteregie

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