The challenges of evaluating a health impact assessment

Abstract

Despite Health Impact Assessment (HIA), and its subsequent evaluation, forming a vital part of the planning process, there is a need to address issues of effectiveness. This was an evaluation of an HIA exploring the regenerative impacts of a major health service development in an urban area of the UK. Evaluation was carried out by using published criteria, a process of reflection by the assessors and an email questionnaire to members of the steering group to elicit their views of the HIA. The HIA made a useful contribution to raising awareness amongst the decision-makers of the positive and negative impacts of the proposals and wide-ranging health determinants that could influence these impacts. Whilst the decision-makers said that HIA was helpful, there was some uncertainty over how much influence it had. There is some way to go towards the effective evaluation of HIAs to an extent that they are helpful. The challenges and outcomes of evaluation are described.

Keywords:

• health impact assessment
• evaluation

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to Dr John Kemm, Director, West Midlands Public Health Observatory, for his constructive comments on the manuscript. Thanks also to Dr Jayne Parry, Director Health Impact Assessment Unit, The Birmingham University, for her support, advice and guidance on the health impact assessment work. We are indebted to Dr Chris Chiswell, Public Health SHO, who went through the revised manuscript a number of times providing constructive comments and suggestions for improving the paper in line with the reviewers’ comments. Finally, thanks to the ‘Towards 2010’ Agency for all the support they provided in conducting the HIA.