It is important that, when assessing the potential health impacts of a policy, you take into account not just the direct determinants of health, but the wider determinants too. These include factors such as:
- poverty, unemployment, poor housing, crime, low educational attainment, social exclusion;
- agricultural and transport policies, and environmental issues, such as air pollution; and
- sustainable development issues in terms of health
In addition, you need to consider the impact on the health of the population as a whole, any disproportionate impact on particular groups and what can be done to ensure inequalities are not widened.
Information from other specific impact tests may inform the HIA, particularly those on sustainable development, environment and equalities.
There may not always be an obvious connection between the policy and health, so a broad approach to health and well-being will need to be taken. For example:
- policies promoting social integration might promote mental health
- policies aimed at young people might impact on risk-taking behaviour
- policies that generate traffic, waste or out of town centres may increase pollution
- air transport changes, or location of mobile telephone masts are causes of public concern about health
- improving facilities for pedestrians and cyclists would promote exercise and health.
This guidance is to help you assess the potential health impacts of your policy proposal and the options considered, once you have established that there might be significant impacts. It applies to Government policy including regulatory bodies.
The definition of significant impact is that it refers to the whole population, a major sub-group of the population or the degree of severity of the impact.
