Health effects are often overlooked when planning development projects ranging from new runways at major airport sites to developing water supply systems to improve sanitation. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is the assessment of the health effects, positive or negative, of a project, programme, or policy. It is therefore concerned with the health of populations and attempts to predict the future consequences for health of decisions which have not yet been implemented. HIA is a new and growing field with numerous schools of thought and areas of controversy.
This book is the first to give a comprehensive overview of the concepts, theory, techniques and applications of HIA to aid all those preparing projects or carrying out assessments. It draws on examples and thinking from many different disciplines and many parts of the world. It identifies the areas of agreement and the questions remaining unanswered. It maps a confused field and signposts possible directions for future progress.
Health Impact assessment is intended to help decision makers in all areas forsee the consequences of their decisions, to ensure the consequences are considered and reduce risk of population health being damaged through some indirect and unintended consequence of a decision.
This book is a practical handbook for those preparing the assessments be they epidemiologists, environmentalists, health economists or public health specialists as well as serving as a conceptual guide for policy makers, decision makers and planners at national and international levels. This book will serve both as a reference for the established HIA practitioner and as an introduction for the novice.

Health Promotion: Ideology, Discipline, and Specialism is a thorough examination of the field, advancing clear proposals for its development and future, and is essential reading for those needing an understanding of the theoretical background, historical context, or the challenges that health promotion faces today. Health promotion is a term which has been used varyingly to describe an ideology, a discipline, or a profession, and has subtly different meanings when used in each of these ways. Dr John Kemm presents a nuanced understanding of the complexities of the field, and careful consideration of the theoretical and practical difficulties involved. With the core belief that health promotion has a vital contribution to make to the health of populations, this book is packed with the knowledge and tools necessary to help people contribute in real and practical ways to health promotion. Its timely examination of the strategies and legislation of successive governments in the UK informs the ongoing debate on heath policy. The importance of health education is explored, including a look at the new possibilities that technological developments will bring. From the wealth of examples and cases studies used to illustrate the ethical principles underlying health promotion, to the examination of the concepts of environmental and lifestyle determinants of health, it is a comprehensive look at health promotion and will be a perfect resource for practitioners and students alike.

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a process which helps decision making by predicting the consequences for health of choosing different options in terms of policies, plans, and projects. There is growing interest among health professionals, planners and politicians in using HIA to help safeguard and improve the health of populations and reduce health inequalities. Health Impact Assessment: Past Achievement, Current Understanding, and Future Progress explores the past development of HIA, its current practice and possible future. Written in two parts, the first section by John Kemm provides an overview describing the various ways in which an HIA can be done. Highly practical in emphasis, it describes how HIA can be applied in different contexts to meet the needs of different decision makers and answer a variety of questions. It deals not only with the many good reasons for using HIA but also critically examines the weaknesses of current practice. The second part consists of chapters written by authors practising HIA from different countries throughout the world, demonstrating the various pressures and legislative frameworks that have shaped the evolution of HIA. Illustrating the range of views about the reasons for doing HIA and how it should be done, and revealing how the practice of HIA has been adapted to suit different cultures and help decision making in varying situations.