Health impact assessment of local policies: methodology and tools.

The aim of this work was to design some tools and a procedure for performing the Health Impact Assessment of municipal policies. A working group made up of municipal and public health specialists from the Valencian Community (Spain) was set up. After reviewing the tools used in other contexts, the Fem Salut? questionnaire for the simplified Health Impact Assessment of regional policies was adapted for use at the local level. A pilot study was carried out in six municipalities and local initiatives promoted by different sectors were analysed. Two workshops were held per municipality (with specialists and with citizens) and participatory techniques were used to identify the possible impacts on the social determinants of health, the population groups more particularly affected and the proposals for improvement. The feasibility of the methodology and the difficulties involved in carrying it out were discussed. A procedure was defined for the Health Impact Assessment of local initiatives in six steps: Describe (the municipality and the project), Extract (screening phase), Co-produce (participatory workshops), Integrate (the scientific evidence with the qualitative information obtained), Disseminate (to politicians, specialists and community) and Evaluate (direct and indirect results) (DECIDE). A guide was developed to facilitate its application at the local level along with two complementary tools (a questionnaire and worksheets). The technical group rated the process as simple and flexible, as well as being easy to adapt to the characteristics of the municipality and project. In addition to the cross-sectoral approach, the incorporation of citizen participation in the process is an important added value.

Almussafes evalúa los impactos en la salud de su plan de movilidad / Almussafes assesses the health impacts of its mobility plan

Buscar el bienestar de la población y la equidad en salud requiere actuar sobre los determinantes sociales de la salud (DSS). El enfoque de salud en todas las políticas es el más idóneo para ello, y la evaluación del impacto en salud, la técnica cada vez más extendida, como instrumento de ayuda en la toma de decisiones. El objetivo principal de este trabajo es hacer un análisis prospectivo del impacto que puede tener el Plan de Movilidad Urbana Sostenible de Almussafes en la salud y equidad en salud de su población. Para ello, se ha empleado la herramienta Fem Salut al nostre municipi? junto con técnicas participativas, poniendo en valor el papel tanto de profesionales y personal técnico municipal como de la propia ciudadanía. A partir del análisis de su discurso, y en base a la evidencia científica, se identificaron los principales impactos del Plan sobre los Determinantes Sociales de la Salud: disminución de la contaminación ambiental y acústica, incremento de los desplazamientos activos y del bienestar emocional, etc. También se recogieron recomendaciones de mejora para potenciar los impactos positivos y su distribución equitativa. La participación ciudadana es un elemento clave en la evaluación de impacto en salud (EIS) de las políticas no sanitarias, y el ámbito local ofrece una oportunidad única para incorporarla en el proceso de toma de decisiones. Con ello, es posible desarrollar políticas públicas saludables y equitativas

Seeking the well-being of the population and health equity requires acting on the social determinants of health. The Health in All Policies approach is the most suitable for this, and Health Impact Assessment is the increasingly widespread technique, as a tool to assist in decision-making. The main objective of this work is to perform a prospective analysis of the impact that the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan of Almussafes can have on the health and health equity of its population. For this purpose, the tool Fem Salut al nostre municipi? has been used, together with participatory techniques, which highlights the role of both professionals and municipal technical staff, as well as the role of citizens themselves. From the analysis of its discourse, and based on scientific evidence, the most important impacts of the Plan on the social determinants of health were identified: decrease in environmental and noise pollution, increase in active mobility and emotional well-being, among others. Recommendations for improvement to enhance positive impacts and their equitable distribution were also collected. Community participation is a key element in HIA of non-health policies, and the local scope offers a unique opportunity to incorporate this into the decision-making process. With HIA, it is possible to carry out healthy and equitable public policies