Translating Research to Policy Through Health Impact Assessment in Clark County, Washington: a Commentary to Accompany t
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COMMENTARY
Translating Research to Policy Through Health Impact Assessment in Clark County, Washington: a Commentary to Accompany the Active Living Research Supplement to Annals of Behavioral Medicine Brendon Haggerty, MURP & Alan Melnick, MD, MPH, CPH
Published online: 19 January 2013 # The Society of Behavioral Medicine 2012
Introduction As elsewhere in the US, Clark County, Washington has experienced an obesity epidemic, with two thirds of adults overweight or obese [1]. Youth are a particular concern, as 25 % of tenth graders are overweight or obese [2]. To address the obesity epidemic, we will need a comprehensive approach, and accumulating scientific evidence regarding environmental influences on physical activity suggests that urban development policies relating to transportation and land use are likely to be part of this approach [3]. Consequently, Clark County Public Health officials and policy makers are focusing on creating opportunities for physical activity through active transportation and parks. One emerging tool health jurisdictions can use to translate research into built environment policy is Health Impact Assessment (HIA) [4, 5]. The National Research Council defines HIA as “a systematic process that uses an array of data sources and analytic methods and considers input from stakeholders to determine the potential effects of a proposed policy, plan, Active Living Research awarded the fifth annual Translating Research to Policy Award to Clark County Public Health, Center for Community Health. The purpose of the award is to recognize innovative teams or individuals representing research, policy, or advocacy who have had success in catalyzing policy or environmental change of relevance to youth physical activity, sedentary behavior, and obesity prevention. The goal is to celebrate achievements, understand how success occurs, and share these stories so others will be inspired to improve the use of research in policy making. The commentary that follows describes the work that is recognized by the Award. Active Living Research commends the awardees on their successful participation in the policy process, and we recommend their approach as a model to others. B. Haggerty (*) : A. Melnick Clark County Public Health, 1601 E Fourth Plain Blvd, PO Box 9825, Vancouver, WA 98666, USA e-mail: [email protected]
program, or project on the health of a population and the distribution of those effects within the population. HIA provides recommendations on monitoring and managing those effects.”[6] Health officials can use HIA to move towards a health-in-all-policies approach, which advocates considering health consequences of all public decisions, especially those relating to health equity [7]. HIA is used to initiate dialogue about how to include health goals in policies based in multiple sectors and government agencies and to introduce research findings into policy discussions [6]. The 2010 HIA on Clark County’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan evaluated and mapped demographics and health outcomes,
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