2015 APHA Annual Meeting & Expo

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Recorded Annual Meeting Presentations (RAMP) are now available for purchase.
Only $90 for presenters, $140 for registered attendees and $200 for non-attendees.

Online Program

334353
Incorporating mental health into health impact assessment (HIA): Overview of how the field of HIA is doing


Monday, November 2, 2015

Kim Gilhuly, MPH, Human Impact Partners, Northampton, MA
Ame-Lia Tamburrini, M.Sc., Habitat Health Impact Consulting, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
Bethany Rogerson, MS, Health Impact Project, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Washington, DC
Kelsey Lucyk, PhD, Cummings School of Medicine, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Background: Health impact assessment (HIA) is a systematic research and public engagement tool used to elevate health and equityissues  in public policies and land use planning. However, HIA practitioners often overlook mental health impacts in their assessment. Since mental health is an increasingly salient driver of population health and a mediating factor between social determinants and physical health outcomes, it is imperative that mental health be more comprehensively considered in HIA.

Methods:  In 2014, the authors conducted a systematic analysis of 180 HIAs published between September 2013 and January 2014 for their inclusion of mental health. HIAs were subdivided to assess if mental health conditions or their determinants were measured, or if predictions or mitigation strategies were made in the scoping, assessment, and recommendations phases.

Findings: Overall, 62% of HIAs included some mention of mental health in their scope, with less than half (49%) measuring the baseline mental health conditions. Only 38% of HIAs predicted a change in mental health as a result of the implementation of the proposed policy, plan, or program. Even fewer HIAs (28%) made recommendations specific to mitigating any negative mental health outcomes predicted.

Implications: Based on these findings and ongoing feedback from practitioners, this presentation will discuss gaps and needs in the field of HIA (e.g., greater inclusion of mental health). We target researchers with expertise in mental health who may work with practitioners in developing mitigation strategies to predicted changes in mental health.

Learning Areas:

Advocacy for health and health education
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Evaluate the extent to which the field of health impact assessment practitioners has included mental health in HIAs Discuss needs and gaps in the field to enable better incorporation of mental health

Keyword(s): Public Policy, Community-Based Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Human Impact Partners was the first organization to nationally use health impact assessment (HIA) as a tool to increase the use of health and equity in public decisions. I have an MPH from the University of California at Berkeley and have conducted or provided technical assistance for more than 40 HIAs or Health in All Policies (HiAP) projects across the country in collaboration with public health departments, advocates, community organizations, academics, planners, and others.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3214.0: Poster#2// Mental Health Impact Assessment: Interrupting the Impact of Social Determinants