Health Impact Assessment and its contextual influencing factors in Iran

Fakhri A¹* (MD, MPH, PhD), Maleki MR² (PhD)

¹ Social Determinants of Health Research Center, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran

² Department of Health Service Management, School of Health Management and Information Sciences,

Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Original Article

Received: 29 Aug 2015, Accepted: 20 Dec 2015

Abstract

Introduction: The Health impact Assessment (HIA) is a decision making support tool to predict the Health Impact of proposed projects, programs and policies. The content of the HIAs carried out all around the world are different due to various conditions. Implementation of the HIA has been included in the Fifth Development Plan as ‘Health Annex of Developmental Plans’ in Iran. This study was conducted to investigate the contextual influencing factors on the HIA in Iran.

Methods: This qualitative study was conducted in Iran in 2013, and data was gathered using semi-structured interviews. The participants were recruited using purposeful sampling method among key informants (N=14). The data were analyzed manually using thematic content analysis method.

Results: Five main factors were emerged from the sub-theme of “content” and main theme of ‘the HIA content’. Also 16 and five factors were emerged from the sub-themes of “context” and “capacities” of the main theme of ‘contextual influencing factors of content’, respectively.

Conclusion: The influencing factors on the HIA in Iran are the same as the factors reviewed in the HIA literature. However, the current study confirms the effects of these factors on the HIA content. Precipitancy should be avoided in implementing of the HIA. Decision making and capacity building about the evaluation of HIA policies, and its integration with Environmental Impact Assessment are two important examples.

Keywords: The Health Impact Assessment (HIA), The Fifth Development Plan, The Healthy Public Policy

Please cite this article as follows:

Fakhri A, Maleki MR. Health Impact Assessment and its contextual influencing factors in Iran. Hakim Health Sys Res 2016; 18(4): 316- 328.