Health impact assessment is becoming a widely used phrase with many advocates for its use to identify and optimise the health effects of policy, programmes, proposals and projects.

However, Health Impact Assessment is only as good as the evidence used to produce the findings. This is made even more difficult when:

• The questions asked are broad and non-specific for projects where health improvement is not the primary objective for example "In what ways does transport affect health?"
• Time is limited.
• There is a need to make recommendations to decision makers regardless of the quality of the evidence.
• There is a broad range of stakeholders involved.
• There is a broad range of evidence.
• There is a need of evidence to support the reversibility of adverse factors damaging to health.

It is therefore important that there is increased access to good quality reviews of evidence to reduce the risk of poor quality, inappropriate and weak recommendations being given in HIA.

The LHO and academic colleagues across London have been funded by the Department of Health's Policy research programme to:

• Collate quality criteria for different types of evidence and study design;
• Develop guidelines for brief or more comprehensive reviews of the evidence for HIA which can be used when commissioning, conducting or appraising such reviews;
• Pilot and evaluate the Guidelines; and
• Improve access to robust evidence for HIA by peer review of existing brief and comprehensive reviews of evidence already undertaken for HIA and also by publishing quality assured evidence reviews on the internet;

For more information on this current research and development please contact Jenny Mindell at the London Health Observatory.

This work was undertaken by the steering group listed who received funding from the Department of Health. The views expressed in this document are those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the Department of Health.

Date	Title	Format	View
11 Sep 2006	A guide to reviewing published evidence for use in health impact assessment
11 Sep 2006	Improving Access to Robust Evidence for HIA: Final Report to the Department Of Health
4 Sep 2006	A brief literature review of published evidence relevant to the prospective health impacts of the “Central Park Life Centre” proposals
4 Sep 2006	Appraisal of literature review on health implications of the draft growth strategy for the Milton Keynes and South Midlands area
26 Jul 2006	Building for Health
10 Jul 2006	Quality criteria for appraisal of studies and articles
4 Jul 2006	Appraisal of literature review for Central Park Life Centre
4 Jul 2006	Appraisal of literature review on employment and health
3 Jan 2006	HIA Glossary
20 May 2005	Assessing Causality
11 Apr 2005	Presentation - Improving Access to Robust Evidence for Health Impact Assessment (Powerpoint Presentation)
3 Aug 2004	Improving access to robust evidence for health impact assessment
3 Aug 2004	Improving access to robust evidence for health impact assessment
3 Aug 2004	Qualitative research on format and presentation of guidelines for reviewing the evidence for HIA

Back to top ^^

Date	Title	Format	View
25 Jul 2006	Wembley Stadium Health Impact Assessment
2 Apr 2005	Proposed western extension of the central London congestion charging scheme literature review (full report)

Back to top ^^