Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Health impact assessment (HIA) is a process bringing together stakeholders outside the health care system to evaluate projects, programs, and policies for potential impacts on health. HIA is endorsed by the Canadian Medical Association, the Senate, and others who recognize its potential to address upstream environmental and lifestyle factors that contribute to avoidable diseases and stress on health care systems. To better understand how HIA can support prevention in a complex federal landscape, this research will use realist review to investigate legal contexts, understand prevention pathways, and evaluate health outcomes across Canadian health care jurisdictions. There are three research questions that inform the project. 1) What evidence exists about contexts, mechanisms, and outcomes for HIA in environmental health and lifestyle-related chronic disease prevention? 2) Where should HIA best practices vary across Canadian jurisdictions? 3) How can integrated knowledge translation support realist review? Data collection and analysis will involve interviews with international practitioners, legal research at various levels of government, consultation with public health and other professional health associations, and the evaluation of health outcomes as part of HIA. "Supporting Opportunities for Prevention through Health Impact Assessment (SOPHIA)" will provide a relevant and timely investigation into HIA as an innovative process with significant potential for population health interventions. It will employ realist review to contribute tools and evidence for HIA best practices to address preventable morbidity and mortality. Knowledge sharing with research participants and other stakeholders will be ongoing, and take place in interpersonal, multimedia, and internet forums. As part of a broader healthy public policy strategy, SOPHIA will make a substantial contribution to the advancement of HIA in Canada, supporting opportunities for prevention for Canadians.