About Health Impact Assessment

Health impact assessment, or HIA as it is widely known, is a process used to determine potential impacts of a draft proposal or plan on health and wellbeing. Its aim is to identify positive and negative impacts in order to both mitigate possible harm and enhance positive effects.

Some groups in the community may be affected more than others by a draft proposal and HIA is a useful way to consider how these groups may be affected from the beginning rather than after the plan has been implemented.

This page explains:

• the HIA process
• how HIA is used
• our experience in HIA
• HIA e-News - email newsletter for people interested in HIA

The HIA process

Every HIA is unique in topic and resources but there are some steps typically followed:

1. Screening - deciding if an HIA should be undertaken in the first place, ensuring scarce resources are used wisely.
2. Scoping - working out who will do what in the HIA, to whom, by when and how.
3. Appraisal - researching and bringing together information - eg talking to people who will be affected and searching for research evidence and community profile information.
4. Reporting - writing a succinct and readable version of our findings, plus key recommendations to decision makers about how to meet their goals while protecting and enhancing wellbeing.

HIA can be done on virtually anything that has the impact to affect people's health and wellbeing. Sometimes it is used on things you may not think of immediately such as:

• social strategies - eg a draft Graffiti Vandalism Strategy
• new roads or transport strategies/programmes
• structure or Master Plans for urban areas
• education initiatives such as school policies on behaviour management
• environmental proposals such as waste management plans, or air quality and water quality plans/strategies.

How HIA is used

HIA is used by people making decisions. HIA can help manage risk in the decision making process and provide valuable information to decision makers. HIA can be used by any decision maker, to inform small or large decisions.

Our experience in HIA

Quigley and Watts are specialists at undertaking HIAs. We have been involved in multiple HIAs in many different capacities including:

• doing the whole HIA ourselves
• doing part of the HIA eg, the evidence review or community workshops
• working in partnerships with other organisations to do the HIA
• mentoring other organisations to carry out an HIA
• training people to do their own HIAs (sign up for HIA e-News below to be advised about upcoming training)
• developing HIA resources.

We have trained hundreds of people in HIA and whānau ora HIA, written national and international guidance on best practice HIA and are leaders in HIA using a social determinants approach. In our partnership with the University of Otago, Wellington, we research and further develop health impact assessment practice.

If you thinking about carrying out an HIA and have any questions, please give us a call.

HIA e-News - sign up now!

HIA e-News is a bi-monthly newsletter for HIA practitioners or people who are interested in HIA. In each edition you will hear from real practitioners as we keep you up to date and connected with the HIA world. We also include resources of interest, upcoming events, training, and job opportunities.

Click here to Sign up to HIA e-News, our bi-monthly email newsletter for HIA practitioners.

HIA Links:

Ministry of Health HIA Support Unit website
Health, Wellbeing & Equity Impact Assessment Unit (HIA Research Unit)
PHAC HIA Publications