Community Health Impact Assessment

About

This is a peer-to-peer co-learning programme for urban(isation) focused community groups to develop community-led Health Impact Assessments. This is a programme for people and organisations who want to address the ecological systemic factors that influence our health at the local policy level, and seek lasting change to the places where they live.

Background

Institutionalised framings attribute the worsening health of the population to our individual behaviours and lifestyles. This approach ignores the harmful impact of the many environmental and psychological stressors we’re exposed to. Such stressors include air pollution, job insecurity, and poor social infrastructure; all of which put stress on our biological systems and render us more susceptible to immune, metabolic and hormonal issues. 

Given the importance of our environment on our health, you’d expect that the billions of pounds being spent on urban regeneration would have a positive impact on health outcomes. However, this is not the case. 

Our experiences and research highlight that the methods for assessing the health and well-being benefits of urban transformations are flawed and require a fundamental overhaul. Further, this should be led by the communities that the policies impact.

Opportunity

Amongst the messy planning policy system is what’s called a Health Impact Assessment (HIA). It’s advised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a practical approach used to judge the potential health effects of a policy, programme or project on a population, particularly on vulnerable or disadvantaged groups. This concept is integral to the UK planning system, to the extent that the NHS London Health Urban Development Unit recommends the integration of a 'community-led HIA' into a Neighborhood Plan.

We have identified that targeting this piece of policy practice is a key opportunity to radically change the conversations and dynamics in which health is impacted. It is based on asking a simple question: is a project or policy increasing or decreasing a community’s exposure to environmental and psychosocial stressors as a result of their interventions? 

The practical opportunity is to design a culturally and community appropriate baselining health assessment. This would then be used to navigate conversations between authorities, changemakers (typically real estate developers) and communities focused on mitigating and addressing the various determinants of health often overlooked in the current planning process.

Central and regional government guidance directs the importance and role of community engagement in the planning system. Instead of waiting to be asked to engage, take the solution to the table and show how things should be done.

This program will cover the following learnings

Learning 1

We will be learning the link between Health Impact Assessment and environmental/health justice.

Learning 2

We will be learning how to use  Health Impact Assessments as a tool for community led planning, so neighbourhoods begin to reflect community imaginations/visions.

Learning 3 

We will be learning how to link HIA to improving community health

What do I see the role of community-led organising? To show up those in power as fools by demonstrating how it can be done, and that you did it.
— Dr. Patrick Williams, Systemic Justice

About the Programme

We believe that community participation in HIA links up to the value system of a democratic and egalitarian society. Moreover, it has the potential, in addition to its other goals, to contribute to health promotion. Community participation in HIA contributes to policies that, building on local knowledge, and engaging target groups, address issues that are important, for these groups - in ways that are locally acceptable and appropriate.
— Lea den Broeder et al, Community participation in Health Impact Assessment. A scoping review of the literature (2017)

The programme is currently closed for applications, we hope to hold another programme later in the year.

If you have any questions about the programme please message us at chiat@thecentriclab.com

Programme Team

We are always looking for people to join who feel they can contribute to this or other programmes. If you feel you have something to offer please message us at hello@thecentriclab.com

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Ecological Health in Neighbourhoods