What is Health Impact Assessment, or HIA?
Health Impact Assessment is a consensus building process around
the future health consequences of changes that affect defined populations of
people. It may be integrated with other forms of impact assessment (ESHIA),
or stand-alone.
The objective
 | to ensure that people are protected from the negative
consequences of those changes |
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|
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| to ensure that people gain fully from the positive consequences of
those changes |
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Definition of health
A broad definition of health is used, encompassing all of the following:
| well-being |
| disease |
| infirmity |
Well-being is best defined by the
communities themselves and includes physical, social, mental, and spiritual
well-being.
The process
Health impact assessment is a process as much as a method. It is important to:
| write a good Terms of Reference (TOR) |
| choose a
qualified assessor |
| engage with stakeholders |
| review the output |
| develop
management plans. |
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