Development and Application of Strategies for Health Impact Assessment of Projects and Policies

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a combination of procedures, methods and tools used to evaluate potential health outcomes associated with proposed projects, programs and policies. An HIA differs from other types of assessments in its consideration of both positive and negative health outcomes, and inclusion of social and economic determinants of health. Although HIA has evolved over the past two decades, it remains underutilized. There are several reasons for this, including the fact that HIA methodology is lacking in clarity, consistency and transparency. This doctoral thesis tackles this issue through development of novel HIA tools that address specific research gaps associated with different steps of the HIA process. The first step is screening, which determines whether or not an HIA should be conducted. A unique screening tool that considers the practicality of conducting an HIA by comparing the value of the process versus the required investment was developed and tested by HIA practitioners around the world. Scoping is the next step, which outlines the details and boundaries of the assessment. A scoping tool was developed to systematically identify and prioritize health determinants to be included in HIA. The assessment step is where the health outcomes scoped into the HIA are evaluated for potential positive and negative effects. A new assessment framework was created to provide a transparent method of evaluation in order to characterize impacts and reach a clear, well-justified conclusion. This framework was tested on an actual oil drilling project, allowing for identification of strengths and weaknesses of the tool. The framework was then revised to addresses issues, and was redeveloped so that it could be applied within the Environmental Assessment process. Each of these tools addresses a specific research need in the field of HIA, and promotes the inclusion of health in assessing impacts of projects and policies.

Department dc:contributor.department

Physical and Environmental Sciences

Year dc:date.issued

2017

Author dc:creator

• McCallum, Lindsay Catherine

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Stefanovic, Ingrid

• Environmental Health
• Health Assessment
• Health Impact Assessment
• HIA
• Scoping
• Screening

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1807/79339

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:utoronto.scholaris.ca:1807/79339