Using health impact assessments to increase understanding of the linkages between public markets and community health

Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) are collections of procedures and tools by which projects, policies, and programs can be evaluated based on their potential effects on the health of a population. An HIA helps focus the attention of decision-makers, who typically do not have a health background, on the health consequences of projects and policies that they are considering. HIAs have seldom been used in the United States, although they have been used to assess projects and policies in Europe and elsewhere. This project is part of a follow-up to the HIA expert meeting the Foundation supported in the Fall of 2004. In order to make HIA a more widely practiced decision tool in the United States, meeting participants recommended that more U.S. pilot projects be conducted and training and technical assistance for local public health officials be developed. This project responds directly to these recommendations. In this project, the UCLA School of Public Health will conduct a comprehensive health impact assessment to assess how public markets affect community health, and to the extent supported by existing data, to determine the magnitude and distribution of these health impacts. Deliverables for this project will include: (1) high quality information to decision makers and stakeholders on how public markets influence health, (2) training on how to conduct HIAs for local agencies, and (3) a short report on screening for HIA.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $149,900.00

Awarded on: 8/25/2005

Time frame: 9/1/2005 - 12/31/2006

Grant Number: 53545