Tuesday, October 16, 2007

[EQ] The Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessment

The Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessment

Scope and limitations of supporting decision-making in Europe

 

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 Europe.

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 Europe  Julia Blau, Kelly Ernst et al.

Chapter 4: Implementing and institutionalizing HIA in Europe  Matthias Wismar, Julia Blau et al.


Part III: The Effectiveness of Health Impact Assessment: Case Studies

Case study 1: A large-scale urban development HIA: focusing on vulnerable  groups in London, England

Katie Collins and Lorraine Taylor

Case study 2: Ecosystem revitalization: community empowerment through HIA  in Tuscany, Italy

Roberta Siliquini, Nicola Nante and Walter Ricciardi

Case study 3: A local-level HIA in the transport sector: following legal requirements in Lithuania

Marius Stricka, Ingrida Zurlyte and Vilius Grabauskas

Case study 4: HIA and intersectoral policy in urban planning: a checklist for health impact screening in Leiden, the Netherlands

Janneke van Reeuwijk-Werkhorst and Loes van Herten

Case study 5: A city council’s air quality action plan: building capacity for HIA in Northern Ireland Teresa Lavin and Owen Metcalfe

Case study 6: Using intersectoral networks towards the adoption of the Common Agricultural Policy: an HIA on the Food and Nutrition Action Plan in Slovenia

Mojca Gabrijelcic Blenkus and Nina Scagnetti

Case study 7: A private sector HIA initiative: a smoke-free workplace policy in Spain Francisco Barroso

Case study 8: HIA speeding up the decision-making process: the reconstruction of route 73 in Sweden Ida Knutsson and Anita Linell

Case study 9: Citizen involvement in a local HIA: informing decisions on the future of a landfill site in Wales

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 Finland

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 Poland Anicenta Bubak and Ewa Nowak


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 Denmark

Gabriel Gulis

Case study 15: Removing hurdles towards HIA: pilot project of an obstacle-free environment in Hungary Edit Eke

Case study 16: Traffic and transport at the local level: capacity building for  HIA in Ireland Teresa Lavin and Owen Metcalfe

Case study 17: Moving towards the development of an HIA methodology: the effects of air pollution in Ticino, Switzerland Konrade von Bremen

 

 

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
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[EQ] Personalized Health Care: Opportunities, Pathways, Resources


PERSONALIZED HEALTH CARE: OPPORTUNITIES, PATHWAYS, RESOURCES

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, October 2007

This initiative includes funding for genome-wide association studies, methods of analyzing gene-environment interactions, environmental “sensors” that detect exposure, and measurement of diet and physical activity.

Available online at: http://www.hhs.gov/myhealthcare/news/presonalized-healthcare-9-2007.html

“….The achievement of personalized health care (PHC) rests on a dual foundation: the growing base of biomedical knowledge (especially related to genomic knowledge) and the adoption of interoperable health information technology.

To this foundation must be added the development of clinically useful products. In order to achieve that goal, appropriate regulatory structures will be needed to support innovation and adoption of safe and effective drugs, diagnostics, and procedures.

Finally, integrating personalized health care into clinical practice will depend on the development of medical evidence demonstrating that these approaches work for clinicians and patients. It will also depend on education and support for health care professionals to translate new knowledge into clinically useful procedures….”

Contents

Foreword by HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt.
Opportunities: Envisioning a New Kind of Health Care
Challenges: Prerequisites to Achieving Personalized Health Care
Pathways: Building Blocks of Personalized Health Care
Resources: HHS Programs Supporting Personalized Health Care

I. Expansion of the Science Base

·         Human Genomics Research.

·         Genome-Wide Association Studies

·         Genes, Environment and Health Initiative

·         Human Genome Epidemiology Network

·         National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

·         Biomarkers Consortium

·         NIH Biomarkers Projects

·         Cancer Research Programs Supporting Personalized Health Care

o        National Cancer Institute

o        Office of Biorepositories and Biospecimen Research

o        National Program of Cancer Registries

·         Heart, Lung, and Blood Research Programs Supporting PHC

·         Eye Research Programs Supporting PHC

II.     Health Information Technology

·         American Health Information Community

·         Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology

·         Health Information Technology Initiative

·         Health Information Technology for Safety Net Providers

·         Use of Medicare Data To Support Research on Health Outcomes

III.    Intervention Development and Review

·         Critical Path Initiative To Improve Medical Product Development

·         Regulatory Submission of Genomic Data in Medical Product Development

·         Review of Genetic Tests for Use in Clinical Practice

·         Pharmacogenetics Research Network

IV.   Integration Into Clinical Practice

·         Health Data Standards and Genetic Information Resources.

·         Evaluation of Genomic Applications in Practice and Prevention

·         Roadmap for Medical Research: Clinical and Translational Science Award Program

·         Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG™)

·         Promoting Quality in Genetic Testing

·         CLIA Oversight of Genetic Testing

·         Promoting Effective Communication Between Laboratories and Clinical Settings

·         Genetic Testing Reference Materials Coordination Program

·         Evidence-Based Practice

·         Effective Health Care Program

·         Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics

·         Accelerating Change and Transformation in Organizations and Networks

·         Practice-Based Research Networks

·         Health Resources and Services Administration Resources To Support PHC

·         Genetic Services Program

·         Genetic and Newborn Service Screening Regional Collaboratives

·         National Hemophilia Program

·         Sickle Cell Service Demonstration

·         National Cord Blood Inventory

·         C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program

·         Newborn Screening Quality Assurance Program

·         Genetic Testing and Newborn Screening Disease Information Portal

·         Family History

·         U.S. Surgeon General’s Family History Initiative

·         Family History Public Health Initiative

V.    Privacy and Other Issues.

·         Protecting the Privacy of Patient Health Information

·         Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Genetics, Health, and Society

·         National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics

·         Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children.

Overview of Federal Health Care Delivery Programs
Glossary of Terms
HHS Agencies and Web Sites
HHS-Supported Web Sites of Interest

 

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This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ IKM Area]

"Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members".

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[EQ] Measuring Health Disparities Computer-based Course

Measuring Health Disparities Computer-based Course MHDID0806

Michigan Public Health Training Center (MPHTC) - University of Michigan, School of Public Health

Course Website:  https://www.sph.umich.edu/iscr/mphtc/site.php?module=courses_one_online_course&id=247

 

Blog: http://www.sitemaker.umich.edu/mhd/home

 

“…..Measuring Health Disparities is a self-paced, interactive course which focuses on some basic issues for public health practice -- how to understand, define and measure health disparity.

 

This computer-based course examines the language of health disparity to come to some common understanding of what that term means; it also shows how to calculate different measures of health disparity.

 

The purpose of this course is to provide a durable tool that is useful to daily activities in the practice of public health. The content is designed to be accessible to a broad audience of practitioners across all sectors of the public health workforce who are concerned about the issue of health disparity. The material is divided into four parts.

 

Parts One and Two review what health disparities are, how they are defined, and provide an overview of common issues faced in measuring health disparities.
Part Three is technical and introduces users to a range of health disparity measures, providing advantages and disadvantages of each.
Part Four discusses how best to use different measures to communicate and evaluate health disparity in our communities….”

 

To download the course: http://www.sph.umich.edu/mhd/health_disparities.exe

Downloading this file will take an average of five minutes with a high-speed bandwidth. The file is PC-based and is not Macintosh-compatible.
The file size is 68.2 MB.

For instructions on installing this course on your computer click here: Installation

 

Contact MPHTC by phone at 734-615-9439 or e-mail mphtc@umich.edu

 

 

*     *      *     *

This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics;
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ IKM Area]

"Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members".

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PAHO/WHO Website:
http://www.paho.org/
EQUITY List - Archives - Join/remove:
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    IMPORTANT: This transmission is for use by the intended recipient and it may contain privileged, proprietary or confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient or a person responsible for delivering this transmission to the intended recipient, you may not disclose, copy or distribute this transmission or take any action in reliance on it. If you received this transmission in error, please notify us immediately by email to infosec@paho.org, and please dispose of and delete this transmission. Thank you.