Health Impact Assessment

Health Impact Assessment is a process which can help improve the health of communities and reduce health inequalities.

What is HIA?

Our health is affected by decisions made in areas outside of public health, such as planning, transport, housing and education. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) ensures that health is considered in these and other important decisions. HIA helps policy and decision-makers to understand how a proposed new law, policy, programme or project might affect the health of the community before it is implemented.

HIA is a process used to determine the impact of proposed policies, laws, programmes or plans on the health of communities to ensure they are more inclusive, more equitable, and more sustainable for everyone. The HIA process can be used at national, regional or local level and supports government strategies in Ireland and Northern Ireland to improve population health and reduce health inequalities.

Healthy Ireland and Making Life Better provide policy frameworks for public health in Ireland and Northern Ireland, respectively. These frameworks place a high priority on improving health and tackling the wider determinants of health and set out the importance of a ‘Health in All Policies' approach, HIA, equity and social justice.

Learn about HIA on Public Health Matters

Access the Public Health Matters desktop platform at https://learning.publichealth.ie/

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Latest HIA Guidance

In November 2021, the Institute launched the fourth edition of HIA Guidance for Ireland and Northern Ireland, incorporating the most recent developments and best practice in the field. The updated HIA Guidance is endorsed by the International Association for Impact Assessment and by the European Public Health Association.

HIA can be used by policy- and decision-makers in government, statutory agencies, community groups and voluntary organisations to ensure new proposals reduce any health risks and promote health opportunities for specific groups as well as the wider community.

At national level, government departments or statutory agencies can use HIA to assess proposed laws or policies. At local level, HIA may be used by local councils and the community and voluntary sector organisations to ‘health proof’ new and future programmes or projects.

HIA involves seven stages, beginning with a screening phase to determine if a full HIA is required or would be beneficial. After initial screening, the process involves scoping, analysis, reporting, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation stages.

In June 2022, IPH launched a digital learning module, ‘Introduction to Health Impact Assessment’ on our Public Health Matters app and platform. Access the introductory module on HIA here .

In April 2024, IPH launched a HIA Case Study to provide practical guidance on undertaking a HIA. Access the HIA Case Study here.

Health Impact Assessment Guidance: Manual & Technical Guidance

Health Impact Assessment Guidance: The Case for HIA

Health Impact Assessment Guidance: Executive Summary

Health Impact Assessment Guidance: Plain Language Summary

Mellow Village: A Health Impact Assessment Case Study

Recent and ongoing work on HIA

Since launching updated HIA Guidance in 2021, the Institute has developed a number of new resources on HIA.

In June 2022, IPH launched a digital learning module, ‘Introduction to Health Impact Assessment’, which is available free of charge on our Public Health Matters app and platform. Access the introductory module on HIA here .

In April 2024, IPH launched a Mellow Village Case Study - based on a hypothetical urban planning proposal - to provide practical guidance on undertaking a HIA. Access the Mellow Village Case Study here. Watch a recording of the case study launch here.

Read a summary of our HIA work and activities in 2023 here.

IPH is supporting a four-year Health Research Board funded project led by Dr Monica O’Mullane (University College Cork) – ‘Developing a Health Impact Assessment Implementation Model: Enhancing Intersectoral Approaches in Tackling Health Inequalities’. Using the HIA Guidance developed by IPH In 2021, this project will identify ways to embed and normalise HIA practice in Ireland. Further information about the project is available here.

IPH is a project partner on a research study funded by the Environmental Protection Agency. The project team (led by Assoc. Prof. Ainhoa González, University College Dublin) will identify good practice case studies and formulate procedural and methodological recommendations to better consider population and human health in Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). A toolkit will be developed which will provide the basis for developing a ‘Good Practice Guidance for addressing health in SEA’. For further information about the project click here.