Assessment

Abstract

This chapter describes the process of assessment (or appraisal) of impacts. The assessment process begins by characterizing baseline conditions in the potentially affected populations. A number of helpful resources are provided within the chapter to guide the reader through acquisition of health-related data that may be relevant for baseline conditions. The next step in assessment focuses on determining the likely impacts or predicting how baseline conditions might change as a result of the proposed project or policy. Logic frameworks, explaining the potential health effect pathways between the proposed project or policy and health outcomes, are used as a means of organizing the information and ensuring that assumptions are transparent and validated. The last step in assessment, effect characterization, focuses on conveying the relative importance, likelihood, and magnitude of potential health effects. The chapter concludes with a sampling of case studies excerpting health impact assessments that demonstrate a range of approaches to assessment, illustrating the principles and questions introduced earlier.