Health Promotion, Health Impact Assessment

1. Health Impact Assessment
13 June 2013
Tarja Saarinen
Health and Wellbeing Coordinator
Implementation and evaluation of Health Impact
Assessment in the City of Helsinki

2. Health Impact Assessment
Public support
• Municipalities must consider health impacts in their decision-
making (Health Care Act, 30 December 2010/1326).
• The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities
has drawn up recommendations and guidelines
• Health impact assessment will be used in the city's decision-
making with the aim of reducing health inequality.” (The City
of Helsinki's strategy for 2013 - 2016)
13.6.2013 Tarja Saarinen, City of Helsinki

3. Health Impact Assessment
Background
Health promotion should be
emphasised in all city
operations." Helsinki City Board
2008
“Preparation of Draft Decisions
and Fast Health Impact
Assessment” the Mayor of the City
of Helsinki 2008

4. Report based on
meeting documents
2005
Education
Department pilot
2006
Audit
Department's
assessment 2011
Analysis 2014
Instructions
2008
Model development
and training
Health Impact Assessment
Implemention and evaluation
13.6.2013 Tarja Saarinen, City of Helsinki

5. Report based on meeting documents 2005
How do the city's other municipal departments take health
impacts into consideration in their decision-making?
Method
Content analysis was performed on the documents of eight
municipal department
Results
• 562 health impact points were found
• Health impact assessment could be seen in 3% of the points
discussed
Conclusion
• Health impact assessment should be increased and used as the
basis for decision-making. (Taking health impacts into
consideration...2005)
13.6.2013 Tarja Saarinen, City of Helsinki
Report based on
meeting
documents 2005
Education
Department pilot
2006
Audit
Department's
assessment 2011
Analysis 2014

6. Pilot project with the Education Department in 2006
How are health impacts taken into account in the decision-making of the City of
Helsinki Education Department?
Goal
To promote the inclusion of health impact considerations in the preparation of draft
decisions and the decision-making processes of the Education Committee.
Method
The department's management and draftsmen were trained
An evaluation of the Education Committee's documents was carried out.
Results
A health impact assessment was carried out for just over half of the items processed
that had an impact on health
Conclusions
• HIA requires a new attitude and new skills for those participing in decision-making
process
• Instructions on HIA are needed
• Practical experiences
13.6.2013 Tarja Saarinen, City of Helsinki
Report based on
meeting
documents 2005
Education
Department pilot
2006
Audit
Department's
assessment 2011
Analysis 2014

7. Audit Department's assessment 2011
Goal
To find out how familiar the municipal departments were with the health impact
assessment instructions and had they assessed health impacts in the preparation of
draft decisions.
Method
The survey was filled out by the draftsmen of the city's municipal departments (n=35). A
total of 82 draftsmen answered the survey.
Results
• 60% of the correspondents were familiar with the instructions.
• 28% had used Rapid Health Impact Assessment.
• Approximately 40% said that no health impact assessments had been carried out.
• 10% used some other method for preliminary assessment.
• Those who had used HIA, reported that it had helped their work
13.6.2013 Tarja Saarinen, City of Helsinki
Report based on
meeting
documents 2005
Education
Department pilot
2006
Audit
Department's
assessment 2011
Analysis 2014

8. Audit Department's assessment 2011
Conclusions
• The model has not been widely adopted in the municipal departments that
make decisions that have an impact on the health of the city's residents.
• Targeted marketing and training
• Practical implementation and discussion on the significance of health
impact assessment
• Clearer method
13.6.2013 Tarja Saarinen, City of Helsinki
Report based on
meeting
documents 2005
Education
Department pilot
2006
Audit
Department's
assessment 2011
Analysis 2014

9. Future development and evaluation of the model
• The model will be further developed this autumn
• Reducing health inequality should be considered in the
development of the model
• Supported implementation by providing information and
training
Theoritical and practical training will be offered to
draftsman and decision-makers
• Health impact assessment analysis next year
13.6.2013 Tarja Saarinen, City of Helsinki

10. Health is created and lived
by people within the
settings of their everyday
life; where they learn, work,
play and love.
Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion 1986,
WHO