Health Impact Assessment Research Papers (original) (raw)

As an emerging practice, Health Impact Assessment is heterogeneous in purpose, form, and scope and applied in a wide range of decision contexts. This heterogeneity challenges efforts to evaluate the quality and impact of practice. We examined whether information in completed HIA reports reflected objectively-evaluable criteria proposed by the North American HIA Practice Standards Working Group in 2009. From publically-available reports of HIAs conducted in the U.S. and published from 2009 to 2011, we excluded those that were components of, or comment letters on, Environmental Impact Assessments (5) or were demonstration projects or student exercises (8). For the remaining 23 reports, we used practice standards as a template to abstract data on the steps of HIA, including details on the rationale, authorship, funding, decision and decision-makers, participation, pathways and methods, quality of evidence, and recommendations. Most reports described screening, scoping, and assessment processes, but there was substantial variation in the extent of these processes and the degree of stakeholder participation. Community stakeholders participated in screening or scoping in just two-thirds of the HIAs (16). On average, these HIAs analyzed 5.5 determinants related to 10.6 health impacts. Most HIA reports did not include evaluation or monitoring plans. This study identifies issues for field development and improvement. The standards might be adapted to better account for variability in resources, produce fit-for-purpose HIAs, and facilitate innovation guided by the principles.

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- Health Impact Assessment

With a simple to-follow approach and unrivaled learning support, Jarvis' Physical Examination and Health Assessment, eighth Edition is the most legitimate, total, and handily actualized answer for wellbeing evaluation in nursing. This firmly incorporated learning bundle keeps on fixating on Carolyn Jarvis' trademark clear, coherent, and comprehensive way to deal with physical assessment and wellbeing evaluation over the patient life expectancy. It's stuffed with distinctive outlines, bit by bit direction and proof based substance to give a total way to deal with wellbeing evaluation abilities and physical assessment. With a new spotlight on the present need-to-know data, the eighth version coordinates QSEN and interprofessional cooperation, highlights upgraded incorporation of LGBTQ contemplations, incorporates another independent Vital Signs part, and gives improved EHR and documentation content.

- by Sally Simmonstaw
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- Health Sciences, Health Impact Assessment, Health, Physical examination

The Minimum Elements and Practice Standards for Health Impact Assessment (MEPS) is undergoing its first update in six years. This document was first created to standardize health impact assessments (HIA) through specific guidance and benchmarks and describe best practices for how an HIA should be conducted. A group of leading HIA practitioners created the MEPS in 2009. Since then, it has been updated twice to reflect the evolution of HIA as a practice and the expanded use of HIA as a tool to implement health in all policies. This commentary describes current efforts to revise the MEPS in the context of continued learnings in the field.

- by Sandra Whitehead and +1
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- Assessment, Public Health Policy, Health Impact Assessment, Public Health

We conducted a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) focused on water and sanitation in Vinton, TX, a small rural town on the U.S./Mexico Border. We present the Vinton HIA as a case study to inform the practice of HIA in rural limited resource communities with higher than average levels of unemployment and poverty, and limited infrastructure. Household surveys, focus groups, and interviews provided quantitative and qualitative data on water sources and quality, sanitation practices, and community health. We found that some of the current water sources in Vinton did not meet drinking water standards for total dissolved solids and arsenic; the majority of septic tanks were not managed properly; and there was a short-term risk of water scarcity due to prolonged drought in the region. Prevalent ailments reported by participants included stomach problems, diarrhea, and skin problems. These ailments can be related to arsenic and/or biological organisms in water. The positive direct and indirect ...

- by William Hargrove
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- Health Impact Assessment, Adolescent, Multidisciplinary, Mexico

Large-scale mass poisoning through arsenic contaminated groundwater is a global concern and Bangladesh is among the countries exposed to high concentrations of arsenic in groundwater. As arsenic is a widespread contaminant, several studies have been conducted on it but only a few of these studies were held on micro regions by assessing its role on water quality index. In this study, the source and mobilization of arsenic, its effect on soil and plant, level and consequence of toxicity in human health along with current and potential methods to eliminate arsenic from groundwater in Bangladesh were reviewed based on previous researches. Along with the review, an experimental study was also carried out in an arsenic prone region of Bangladesh named Faridpur Sadar Upazila to delineate the role of arsenic in contamination by generating two synthetic scenarios where water quality was measured by the weighted arithmetic water quality index (WQI) method. From the review it was found that, both geogenic, as well as anthropogenic sources, contribute to arsenic affluence in groundwater in Bangladesh. The most accepted theory states that the Himalayan is the primary geogenic source of arsenic in the Bangladesh. Arsenic arrived in the aquifer transported with sediments which eventually releases into groundwater by several biogeochemical processes. This arsenic-contaminated groundwater is extensively used for drinking purpose and irrigation resulting in accumulation of arsenic in human body, soils and plants. Moreover, the accumulated arsenic in soil and plants transmits into the human body jeopardizes human health. Though, several arsenic removal technologies are now in practice in Bangladesh, more eco-friendly and convenient methods may be utilized to attenuate the level of toxicity. The experimental study revealed that, if the arsenic amount was reduced from the present condition, the overall WQI increases considerably. At one location, the index changed from category E to category B while considering a synthetic scenario of no arsenic in water. This indicates that arsenic is the key pollutant of groundwater in the area. This paper expects the kind attention of the local people and policymakers about the severity of arsenic pollution in the region.

The increasing interest in the potential effects of the community environment on individual health has so far excluded those of the acoustic environment. Yet it has long been recognized that continued exposure to elevated sound levels leads to noise-induced hearing loss. Noise is defined as unwanted sound that disturbs communication and speech intelligibility and interferes with sleep and mental tasks. Evidence points to numerous psychophysiologic outcomes of sustained exposure, including annoyance, reduced performance, aggressive behavior, and increased risk of myocardial infarction.

- by Anne Moudon
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- Education, European Union, Health Impact Assessment, Public Health

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is a key public health and environmental sustainability activity and the revised EIA Directive presents opportunities for an effective consideration of population and human health and for greater collaboration across the key professional groups. This document is a primer. It is intended to spark discussion. It offers brief guidance and recommendations for public health teams, EIA practitioners, planning officers, consultees, consenting authorities and others concerned with population and human health (e.g. during screening, scoping, consultation, assessment, reporting and monitoring). EIA guidance should clearly define the proportionate assessment of population and human health. Key EIA principles include a comprehensive approach to health, proportionality, consistency, equity and reasonableness. The biggest opportunity to influence project design and hence influence health outcomes occurs while scoping, very early in the design process. Improved UK EIA guidance on population and human health is urgently needed. EIA professionals, public health teams, planning officers, environmental health officers, private sector consultants and community groups must work quickly, and work together.

- by Ryngan Pyper and +1
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- Health Promotion, Environmental Impact Assessment, Health Impact Assessment, Public Health

- by Ben Cave and +4
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- Health Promotion, Environmental Impact Assessment, Health Impact Assessment, Spatial planning

In Australasia (Australia and New Zealand) the use of health impact assessment (HIA) as a tool for improved policy development is comparatively new. The public health workforce do not routinely assess the potential health and equity... more

- by Elliott Sclar
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- Program Evaluation, Health Promotion, Urban Planning, Health Impact Assessment

Objective: To evaluate the impact of rapid syphilis tests (RSTs) on syphilis testing and treatment in pregnant women in Kalomo District, Zambia. Methods: In March 2012, health workers at all 35 health facilities in Kalomo Distract were trained in RST use and penicillin treatment. In March 2013, data were retrospectively abstracted from 18 randomly selected health facilities and stratified into three time intervals: baseline (6 months prior to RST introduction), midline (0-6 months after RST introduction), and endline (7-12 months after RST introduction). Results: Data collected on 4154 pregnant women showed a syphilis-reactive seroprevalence of 2.7%. The proportion of women screened improved from baseline (140/1365, 10.6%) to midline (976/1446, 67.5%), finally decreasing at endline (752/1337, 56.3%) (P b 0.001). There was no significant difference in the proportion of syphilis-seroreactive pregnant women who received 1 dose of penicillin before (1/2, 50%) or after (5/48, 10.4%; P = 0.199) RST introduction with low treatment rates throughout. Conclusion: With RST scale-up in Zambia and other resource-limited settings, same-day test and treatment with penicillin should be prioritized to achieve the goal of eliminating congenital syphilis.

- by kennedy sambambi
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- Health Impact Assessment, Zambia, Syphilis, Pregnancy

Health Impact Assessment is a comprehensive methodology proposed by the World Health Organization to determine the impact on health of projects, policies and strategies that are no originally specifically health-related but that could have on effect on health. This work aims to review the methodological approaches to Health Impact Assessment, and determine its value in Public Health. Health Impact Assessment is a multidisciplinary process that combines both qualitative and quantitative evidence in a decision-making frame. It is based on a model of health that includes the economic, political, social, psychological, and environmental determinants of health. If interventions with a real impact on the population's health require a comprehensive and structural approach, with Public Health measures taken at political level, those responsible for implementing such measures have to engage in the decision-making process and in the assessment of its effectiveness. To conduct Health Impact Assessment it is necessary to facilitate the integration of the existing data in order to perform the initial diagnosis and be able to investigate the late effects of the policy measures implemented. This way it will be possible to systematically monitor the effects on health of the actions which derive from Health Impact Assessment, thus maximizing potential positive effects on health and preventing the potential adverse effects.

Lifting at work is considered an important risk factor for low back pain (LBP). However, contradictory findings have been reported, partly because frequency, duration and intensity (ie, the weight of the load) of lifting have not been systematically considered. This has hampered developments of threshold values for lifting. The aims of this study were: to assess the effect of lifting during work (quantified in duration, frequency or intensity) on the incidence of LBP and to quantify the impact of these relationships on the occurrence of LBP in occupational populations exposed to lifting. We searched in PubMed and EMBASE.com for longitudinal studies assessing the effect of occupational lifting on LBP incidence. For each study, the exposure-response slope of the association was estimated by loglinear regression analysis. When possible, a meta-analysis on these slopes was conducted. In a health impact assessment, the effects of the pooled exposure-response relationships on LBP incidenc...

- by Jaap Van Dieen and +1
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- Health Impact Assessment, Low back pain, Work, Clinical Sciences
- by David Rojas-rueda
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- Environmental policy, Carbon Dioxide, Air pollution, Health Impact Assessment
- by Regine Gerike and +1
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- Transportation, Health Impact Assessment, Preventive medicine, Risk assessment

Cardiovascular health has been identified as a prioritized community health need according to recent community health need assessment (CHNA) data. While the Affordable Care Act mandates that non-profit hospitals conduct a CHNA, little guidance exists on how to address the identified needs. Logic models provide systematic structure and necessary direction in how communities can start to address their identified health needs. Completing logic models in a non-linear fashion is encouraged to employ a strengths-based approach and verify the logic. This article provides an application of logic models as one strategy to generate a community-based program theory to improve cardiovascular health.

- by Karin Becker
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- Health Promotion, Health Education, Community Health, Health Impact Assessment

The application of impact assessment is increasingly important for development of sustainable projects and policies. Substantial progress has been made on how to meaningfully include health in strategic environmental assessment (SEA) and other forms of impact assessment. However, in the light of the evolving policy context in Europe further promotion of the consideration of health effects and support with all sectors of civil society, including the health sector is required. In line with this, the Budapest Declaration on Environment and Health, 2004, calls for taking "significant health effects into account in the assessment of strategic proposals". Hence WHO is working to assist its Member States with their respective ministries of health to engage into the SEA process. This report summarizes the general discussion and conclusions of an international consultation meeting on "Health and strategic environmental assessment". The overall aim of the consultation meeting was to seek further advice from SEA and health experts and discuss challenges and opportunities for the further involvement of the health sector in SEA and strategic planning processes.

- by Ben Cave
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- Strategic Environmental Assessment, Health Impact Assessment, Public Health

Fibromyalgia (FM) is the most common chronic pain syndrome encountered in medical practice, affecting females more than males, and the estimated prevalence of FM in Egypt is 1.3 %. The aim was to translate and adapt the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) into Arabic and assess reliability and validity. The Arabic version of Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ-A) was adapted following the forward/backward translation approach. Fifty-one female patients with FM were studied to assess psychometric properties of the FIQ-A. Reliability was analyzed by the correlation coefficient between test and retest. Internal consistency was checked by the Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Construct validity was assessed comparing FIQ-A with Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Health Assessment Questionnaire of Fibromyalgia (FHAQ), The Medical Outcome Survey Short-Form-36 (SF-36), and the Total Visual Analog Scale (TVAS) for FM symptom, and feasibility was assessed by the time taken in completing the FIQ-A and the proportion of patients completed the questionnaire. Patients studied were 33.2 ± 9.8 years old. Translation was concordant. Adaptation affected 4 sub-items of physical function. Test-retest correlation coefficient was 0.89 for total FIQ-A and Cronbach's alpha was 0.76. Excellent to good statistically significant correlations (p < 0.05) were found between the FIQ-A items and HAQ, FHAQ, and SF-36. The FIQ-A is a reliable, valid for measuring health status and physical function in Arabic-speaking FM patients.

- by Mohamed A . Hefny
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- Health Impact Assessment, Translation, Fibromyalgia
- by Michael Joffe
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- Human Geography, Evidence Based Medicine, Health Impact Assessment, Risk assessment

The WHO Health Promotion Glossary was written to facilitate understanding, communication and cooperation among those engaged in health promotion at the local, regional, national and global levels. Two editions of the Glossary have been released, the first in 1986 and the second in 1998, and continued revision of the document is necessary to promote consensus regarding meanings and to take account of developments in thinking and practice. In this update 10 new terms that are to be included in the Glossary are presented. Criteria for the inclusion of terms in the Glossary are that they differentiate health promotion from other health concepts, or have a specific application or meaning when used in relation to health promotion. The terms defined here are: burden of disease; capacity building; evidence-based health promotion; global health; health impact assessment; needs assessment; self-efficacy; social marketing; sustainable health promotion strategies, and; wellness. WHO will continue to periodically update the Health Promotion Glossary to ensure its relevance to the international health promotion community.

- by Ben Smith
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- Health Promotion, Social Marketing, Evidence Based Medicine, Global Health

Objective. Countries and regions vary substantially in transport related physical activity that people gain from walking and cycling and in how this varies by age and gender. This study aims to quantify the population health impacts of... more

- by Tim Schwanen
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- Transportation, Health Impact Assessment, Preventive medicine, Adolescent

This HIA shows how Seattle’s Delridge Corridor Multimodal Transportation Project, through changing the way that residents move through and interact with their environment and each other, has the potential to profoundly improve disparities, and increase the health and wellbeing of the overall community. The recommendations provided here will assist SDOT, DPD, policymakers, and community stakeholders enhance the health- and equity-promoting aspects of this project.

26 April 2006 marks the 20th anniversary of the Chernobyl accident. On this occasion, the World Health Organization (WHO), within the UN Chernobyl Forum initiative, convened an Expert Group to evaluate the health impacts of Chernobyl. This paper summarises the findings relating to cancer. A dramatic increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer has been observed among those exposed to radioactive iodines in childhood and adolescence in the most contaminated territories. Iodine deficiency may have increased the risk of developing thyroid cancer following exposure to radioactive iodines, while prolonged stable iodine supplementation in the years after exposure may reduce this risk. Although increases in rates of other cancers have been reported, much of these increases appear to be due to other factors, including improvements in registration, reporting and diagnosis. Studies are few, however, and have methodological limitations. Further, because most radiation-related solid cancers continue to occur decades after exposure and because only 20 years have passed since the accident, it is too early to evaluate the full radiological impact of the accident. Apart from the large increase in thyroid cancer incidence in young people, there are at present no clearly demonstrated radiation-related increases in cancer risk. This should not, however, be interpreted to mean that no increase has in fact occurred: based on the experience of other populations exposed to ionising radiation, a small increase in the relative risk of cancer is expected, even at the low to moderate doses received. Although it is expected that epidemiological studies will have difficulty identifying such a risk, it may nevertheless translate into a substantial number of radiation-related cancer cases in the future, given the very large number of individuals exposed.

- by Eleonora Kapitonova and +1
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- Radiation Protection, Health Impact Assessment, Chernobyl, Risk assessment

This paper attempts to investigate the impact of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) on economic growth in Nigeria. The research developed a structural macroeconometric model consisting of four blocks made up of supply, private demand ,government and external sectors. The model deploys 18 simultaneous equations and 100 variables to capture the required proxies. The research adopted a three-stage least squares (3SLS) technique and macroeconometric model of simultaneous equations to capture the disaggregated impact of FDI on the different sectors of the economy and the inter-linkages amongst the sectors in order to give better insight into the variations inherent therein. The finding shows that FDI has a significant impact on output of the economy but that the growth effects of FDI differ across sectors. The paper recommends sector-specific policies, enhanced trade openness, import substitution development strategy incentives to existing investors, and potential overseas investors so as to enhance the development of the country.

Keywords: Transboundary smoke haze pollution Indonesian-source smoke haze Smoke haze impact on inpatient cases Economic valuation of smoke haze Doseeresponse function Smoke haze episodes in Malaysia a b s t r a c t This study assessed the economic value of health impacts of transboundary smoke haze pollution in Kuala Lumpur and adjacent areas in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. Daily inpatient data from 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009 for 14 haze-related illnesses were collected from four hospitals. On average, there were 19 hazy days each year during which the air pollution levels were within the Lower Moderate to Hazardous categories. No seasonal variation in inpatient cases was observed. A smoke haze occurrence was associated with an increase in inpatient cases by 2.4 per 10,000 populations each year, representing an increase of 31 percent from normal days. The average annual economic loss due to the inpatient health impact of haze was valued at MYR273,000 ($91,000 USD). (J. Othman), Mazrura@ukm.my (M. Sahani), Mastura@ukm.my (M. Mahmud).

- by mazrura SAHANI
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- Malaysia, Air pollution, Health Impact Assessment, Environmental Pollution
- by Virginia Murray and +1
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- Health Impact Assessment, All aspects of flooding

The third message, highlighted by the case studies on the Bungendore, Lower Hunter and Illawarra impact assessments (see Gow et al.; Wells et al.; Furber et al.; this issue), is that HIA should not be limited to urbanisation in big cities. The proportional growth in regional centres and rural towns often dwarfs that occurring in large cities and the impact on existing resources, physical and social infrastructure can be enormous. This situation is not unique to Australia. As noted in the State of the World Population 2007 report 'contrary to general belief, the bulk of urban

- by Salim Vohra
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- Health Impact Assessment
- by David Rojas-rueda
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- Transportation, Air pollution, Health Impact Assessment, Preventive medicine

We develop a framework for assessing the net benefits of investments to promote bicycling, which explicitly accounts for internal costs of bicycling. We apply our model to eight Swiss cities using data from the Swiss national travel survey and find that increasing the level of bicycling by reducing internal costs leads to inframarginal benefits that exceed the net benefits from the additional bicycling.
We further find that Swiss cyclists only partially internalize health benefits, which affects the benefits from infrastructure investments but also implies that there is scope for “soft” measures that would inform users about health benefits
of bicycling.

of nasal fluids, mucuses and stools, respectively. Results: All the isolated species of bacteria exhibited significant enhancement of the degree of MDR in pharmaceutical workers compared with non-pharmaceutical subjects. Workers with a longer working history had greater degree of antibiotic resistance and vice versa. It can be certainly considered that the exposure of pharmaceutical workers to antibiotic agents resulted in a high incidence of multidrug resistance. Conclusions: Effective steps should be taken to minimize inherent exposure of pharmaceutical workers to antibiotics during work to prevent antimicrobial drug resistance. (J Occup Health 2014; 56: 260-270)

Pesticide risk and impact assessment models critically rely on and are sensitive to information describing dissipation from plants. Despite recent progress, experimental data are not available for all relevant pesticide−plant combinations, and currently no model predicting plant dissipation accounts for the influence of substance properties, plant characteristics, temperature, and study conditions. In this study, we propose models to estimate half-lives for pesticide dissipation from plants and provide recommendations for how to use our results. On the basis of fitting experimental dissipation data with reported average air temperatures, we estimated a reaction activation energy of 14.25 kJ/mol and a temperature coefficient Q 10 of 1.22 to correct dissipation from plants for the influence of temperature. We calculated a set of dissipation half-lives for 333 substances applied at 20 °C under field conditions. Half-lives range from 0.2 days for pyrethrins to 31 days for dalapon. Parameter estimates are provided to correct for specific plant species, temperatures, and study conditions. Finally, we propose a predictive regression model for pesticides without available measured dissipation data to estimate half-lives based on substance properties at the level of chemical substance class. Estimated half-lives from our study are designed to be applied in risk and impact assessment models to either directly describe dissipation or as first proxy for describing degradation.

Transportation policy measures often aim to change travel behaviour towards more efficient transport. While these policy measures do not necessarily target health, these could have an indirect health effect. We evaluate the health impact of a policy resulting in an increase of car fuel prices by 20% on active travel, outdoor air pollution and risk of road traffic injury. An integrated modelling chain is proposed to evaluate the health impact of this policy measure. An activity-based transport model estimated movements of people, providing whereabouts and travelled kilometres. An emission-and dispersion model provided air quality levels (elemental carbon) and a road safety model provided the number of fatal and non-fatal traffic victims. We used kilometres travelled while walking or cycling to estimate the time in active travel. Differences in health effects between the current and fuel price scenario were expressed in Disability Adjusted Life Years (DALY). A 20% fuel price increase leads to an overall gain of 1650 (1010-2330) DALY. Prevented deaths lead to a total of 1450 (890-2040) Years Life Gained (YLG), with better air quality accounting for 530 (180-880) YLG, fewer road traffic injuries for 750 (590-910) YLG and active travel for 170 (120-250) YLG. Concerning morbidity, mostly road safety led to 200 (120-290) fewer Years Lived with Disability (YLD), while air quality improvement only had a minor effect on cardiovascular hospital admissions. Air quality improvement and increased active travel mainly had an impact at older age, while traffic safety mainly affected younger and middle-aged people. This modelling approach illustrates the feasibility of a comprehensive health impact assessment of changes in travel behaviour. Our results suggest that more is needed than a policy rising car fuel prices by 20% to achieve substantial health gains. While the activity-based model gives an answer on what the effect of a proposed policy is, the focus on health may make policy integration more tangible. The model can therefore add to identifying win-win situations for both transport and health.

- by Bruno Kochan and +2
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- Environmental policy, Physical Activity, Transportation, Air pollution

"Sarakham Makham Laem " (Covering the canopy of the existing tamarind tree), is an idiom in the past that referred to Maha Sarakham City Municipality. which is another word about the memory that indicates the identity of the city, Cultivation of tamarind trees in the city On the side of Nakhon Sawan Road, which is an important road of Maha Sarakham City, there are historical landmarks in the city and the former government center, by planting tamarind trees along Nakhon Sawan Road in the past, the shape of the bush is trimmed to look like a pointed bush, however over time Physical characteristics of tamarind trees are growing, Both the shape of the tree and the canopy change with age, causing problems of toppling and death of large tamarind trees in the area.

Amid sawmill busy lives, air pollution is one of the greatest casualties of our time and has increased worldwide since 1990. Today, the history of air pollution in sawmills accounts for 93.32% of the total number of wood processing industries in Nigeria, it seems daunting, overwhelming and have positioned the country at a perilous crossroad. For emerging nations such as Nigeria with a population projected to hit 410.6 million humans by 2050 with up to 40-60 million people with mental disorders at the moment, consequently more than 40,000 deaths a year will be due to air pollution. 7 million deaths worldwide is attributed to air pollution with the number set to increase significantly in coming decades mostly through non-communicable diseases like lung cancer, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease but also through acute respiratory infections like pneumonia. Similarly, around 90% of all people breathe air contaminated with pollutants. In 2015, tobacco caused 7 million deaths, 1.2 million AIDS, 1.1 million cases of tuberculosis and 0.7 million of malaria, 19% of all cardiovascular deaths, 24% of all deaths due to ischaemic heart disease. 21% of stroke deaths, and 23% of deaths from lung cancer. Non-communicable diseases are responsible for 70% of deaths from air pollution and are a major cause of unexplained infections. In addition, air pollution seems to be significant but it is still not a determinant factor of the risk of neurodegenerative disorders in children and neurodegenerative diseases in adults. This study assessed ambient air quality in major sawmill sites in Ilorin Metropolis,

The Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) is currently the most widely used oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) instrument. The study validated the English-language 5-item OHIP by investigating its psychometric properties of dimensionality, reliability, and validity in the adult general population. In 405 subjects (mean age 45+15.7 years, 63% female) from the 2014 Minnesota State Fair, dimensionality was investigated by confirmatory factor analysis. Construct validity was assessed by using a structural equation model correlating OHRQoL and self-reported global oral health status. Reliability was calculated using Cronbach&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s alpha for OHIP5 total scores. In the confirmatory factor analysis, the unidimensional model fit OHIP5 well as indicated by fit indices (RMSEA: 0.07, SRMR: 0.03, comparative fit indices: &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;0.95). In the structural equation model, self-reported global oral health status correlated with 0.46 with the latent OHRQoL factor, indicating sufficient construct validity. Cronbach&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s alpha, a measure of score reliability, was &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;satisfactory&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; with 0.75. We validated the English-language version of OHIP5 in the adult general population. Ultrashort instruments such as the 5-item OHIP provide a conceptually appealing and technically feasible opportunity to measure the impact of oral disorders and dental interventions in settings such as general dental practice where the burden to collect and interpret OHRQoL information needs to be minimized.

- by Karl Self and +1
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- Psychometrics, Quality of life, Health Impact Assessment, Language
- by Eva Elliott
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- Health Impact Assessment

Purpose: Evidence suggests sitting time is independently associated with a range of health issues in adults, yet the relationship between sedentary behavior and health indicators in young people is less clear. Age-related increases in sedentary behavior are well-documented; the behavioral patterns of adolescent girls are of particular concern. More than one third of adolescent girls' sedentary behavior time is accumulated through use of recreational screen-based behaviors. The objective of this review was to investigate the association between recreational screen-based sedentary behavior and the physical, behavioral, and psychosocial health indicators for adolescent girls. A secondary objective was to identify studies that have adjusted sedentary behavior indicators for physical activity. Methods: A structured electronic search of all publication years (through December 2011) was conducted to identify studies in: CINAHL, Communications and Mass Media Complete, ERIC, MEDLINE with Full Text, PsycINFO, and SPORTDiscus with Full Text. Included publications were observational and interventional studies involving adolescent girls (12e18 years) that examined associations between screen-based, sedentary behavior and health indicators (physical, psychosocial, and/or behavioral). The search identified 33 studies that evaluated health indicators of screen-based sedentary behaviors among adolescent girls. Results: Strong evidence for a positive association between screen-based sedentary behavior and weight status was found. A positive association was observed between screen-time and sleep problems, musculoskeletal pain and depression. Negative associations were identified between screen time and physical activity/fitness, screen time and psychological well-being, and screen time and social support. The relationship between screen-based sedentary behavior and diet quality was inconclusive. Less than half of the studies adjusted sedentary behavior indicators for physical activity. Conclusions: Screen-based sedentary behavior is associated with a range of adverse health consequences, but additional longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the health impacts. In addition, screen-time guidelines for youth should be regularly revised and updated to reflect rapid technological changes.

- by Lisa Barnett
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- Education, Health Impact Assessment, Adolescent Health, Adolescent

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Beginning in Gauteng in May 2008, escalated xenophobic violence resulted in the deaths, disability and displacement of migrant populations across South Africa. This discrimination and violence against migrants needs to be viewed in the context of broader structural or institutional discrimination, which in turn contributes to broader societal xenophobia and discrimination.

- by Brett Bowman and +1
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- Health Impact Assessment

A health impact assessment (HIA) is a tool for assessing the potential effects of a project or policy on a population's health. In this paper, we discuss a tool for successfully integrating equity concerns into HIAs. This discussion is the product of collaboration by Mongolian and Canadian experts, and it incorporates comments and suggestions of participants of a workshop on equity focused HIAs that took place in Mongolia in October, 2010. Our motivation for discussing this tool is based on the observation that existing HIAs tend either to fail to define equity or use problematic accounts of this concept. In this paper we give an overview of sociodemographic and health indicators in Mongolia and briefly discuss its mining industry. We then review three accounts of equity and argue for the importance of developing a consensus understanding of this concept when integrating considerations of equity into an HIA. Finally, we present findings from the workshop in Mongolia and outline a tool, derived from lessons from this workshop, for critically considering and integrating the concept of equity into an HIA.