health impact assessment

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

a structured process that evaluates the potential health consequences — positive and negative — of a proposed policy, programme, or project before implementation, in order to inform decision-making and maximise health benefits while minimising harms; health impact assessments are applied to urban planning decisions, transport infrastructure projects, agricultural policies, and industrial developments to ensure that health considerations are integrated into decision-making processes that have traditionally focused on economic or technical criteria; they give particular attention to the health impacts on vulnerable or marginalised populations who may be disproportionately affected