The Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a tool that, based on a social model of health and framed within the Health in All Policies (SeTP) strategy, allows anticipating the health effects of a policy or intervention. non-health policy to establish recommendations that allow this policy to have a greater positive effect on health and minimize its negative effects on health. HIAs are based on a participatory approach that sometimes target vulnerable or historically disadvantaged populations, and collect and use both qualitative and quantitative data to make recommendations to public policy makers and decision-makers.

OPIK has carried out different EIS within the framework of various urban planning actions, as well as other types of political measures such as those implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as evaluating the effectiveness of the EIS in the Spanish and Basque context.

Health Impact Assessment of the measures adopted to control and manage the COVID-19 pandemic in the New Aquitaine, Euskadi and Navarra Euroregion

A retrospective and concurrent HIA of the control and management measures adopted in response to COVID-19 has been carried out with the aim of exploring the effects, direct and indirect, of said measures on health and health equity and formulating recommendations.

Publications made are:

• Urtaran-Laresgoiti M, González-Rábago Y, Martín U, Rivadeneyra-Sicilia A, Morteruel M. Health and health inequalities impact assessment for non-clinical measures to control COVID-19 in the Basque Country and Navarre (Spain). Journal of Public Health Research. 2022;11(3).

• Urtaran-Laresgoiti M, González-Rábago Y, Rivadeneyra-Sicilia A. et al. Evaluación de Impacto en Salud de las medidas adoptadas para el control y la gestión de la pandemia de la COVID-19 en la Eurorregión de Nueva Aquitania, Euskadi y Navarra; 2021. Informe completo y Resumen Ejecutivo.

Assessment of the effectiveness and its determinants of Health Impact Assessments in the Spanish State

• Morteruel M, Bacigalupe A, Aldasoro E, Larrañaga I, Serrano E. Health Impact Assessments in Spain: Have They Been Effective? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17(8):2959. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082959

To consult the complete doctoral thesis, click here.

Other related publications:

• Serrano, E., Larrañaga, I., Morteruel, M. et al. Urban regeneration as population health intervention: a health impact assessment in the Bay of Pasaia (Spain). Int J Equity Health 2016; 15, 145.

• Aldasoro E, Sanz E, Bacigalupe A, Esnaola S, Calderón C, Cambra K, Zuazagoitia J. Avanzando en la evaluación del impacto en la salud: análisis de las políticas públicas sectoriales del Gobierno Vasco como paso previo a la fase de cribado sistemático. Gaceta Sanitaria, 2012; 26(1), 83-90.

• Bacigalupe A, Esnaola S, Calderón C, Zuazagoitia J, Aldasoro E. La evaluación del impacto sobre la salud: una herramienta para incorporar la salud en las intervenciones no sanitarias. Gaceta Sanitaria, 2009; 23(1), 62-66.

• Calderón C, Bacigalupe A, Esnaola S, Zuazagoitia J, Aldasoro E. La Investigación Cualitativa en la Evaluación del Impacto en la Salud: La experiencia de un plan de reforma en un barrio de Bilbao. Rev Fac Nac Salud Pública 2009; 27(1): 45-49.

• Esnaola S, Bacigalupe A, Calderón C, Zuazagoitia J, Aldasoro E. Evaluación del impacto en la salud del Plan de Reforma Integral de Uretamendi-Betolaza y Circunvalación. Vitoria-Gasteiz: Departamento de Sanidad y Consumo; 2008.