Healthy public policy – is health impact assessment the cornerstone?

Metcalfe, O.; Higgins, C.

doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2008.12.025

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Volume 123, Issue 4 , Pages 296-301, April 2009

Healthy public policy – is health impact assessment the cornerstone?

Institute of Public Health in Ireland, Forestview, Purdy's Lane, Belfast BT8 7ZX, UK

Received 30 July 2008; received in revised form 10 November 2008; accepted 16 December 2008. published online 27 March 2009.

Summary

The 8th International Health Impact Assessment Conference, entitled ‘Healthy public policy – is health impact assessment the cornerstone?’, was hosted by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH). At the event, IPH sponsored a keynote speech to set the context of the conference and outline the importance of healthy public policy. This article presents an overview of healthy public policy and the barriers to its adoption in policy-making. Health impact assessment is one such tool to overcome the barriers, and the authors recommend the methodology as the cornerstone to healthy public policy.

Keywords: Health impact assessment, Healthy public policy