What is HIA
Health Impact Assessment, or HIA, is a consensus building process around the future positive and negative health consequences of changes that affect defined populations of people. It may be integrated with other forms of impact assessment (ESHIA/ESIA), or stand-alone.
The objective
to ensure that people are protected from the negative consequences of those changes
to ensure that people gain fully from the positive consequences of those changes
Definition of health
A broad definition of health is used, encompassing all of the following:
well-being
disease
infirmity
Well-being includes physical, social, mental, and spiritual well-being.
The process
Health impact assessment is a process as much as a method. the process includes:
screening and scoping
timing and budget
developing consensus
writing a good Terms of Reference (TOR)
choosing a qualified assessor
engaging with stakeholders
managing interfaces
reviewing the output
developing management plans.