Presenting Author: Debarati "Mimi" Majumdar Narayan, PhD, The Pew Charitable Trusts

ABSTRACT

Health inequities are defined as disparities in health outcomes that emanate from avoidable differences in social, economic, environmental, and political conditions. Where people live, work and play impacts their health. City residents typically have access to programs and environments that support positive health outcomes, but unfortunately these opportunities are often unequally distributed among population groups, putting some communities at greater health risks. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is one important tool to help understand and address these health inequities. HIA brings together scientific data, health expertise, and public input to identify the potential and often overlooked health effects of proposed laws, regulations, projects, and programs in sectors such as housing, transportation, and planning. It offers practical recommendations for ways to minimize risks and capitalize on opportunities to improve health. A central premise of HIA is to consider how certain population groups may be disproportionately affected by proposed decisions. Where the potential for disparate impacts is found, the HIA process yields recommendations to promote better health outcomes and mitigate risks for those communities and populations. Since 2009, the Health Impact Project, a collaboration of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts, has funded over 100 HIAs, including many focused on decisions in urban environments. Through examples of three city-based built environment HIAs, this poster will illustrate how an HIA’s equity lens can help identify and address disproportionate health impacts of proposed projects, plans, or programs. The examples will include HIAs related to transportation, community planning, and green infrastructure.

Author: Debarati "Mimi" Majumdar Narayan, PhD