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HIA-IM

Developing a Health Impact Assessment Implementation Model: Enhancing Intersectoral Approaches in Tackling health Inequalities.

The HIA-IM (Developing a Health Impact Assessment Implementation Model: Enhancing Intersectoral Approaches in Tackling health Inequalities) project is funded through a Health Research Board Emerging Investigator for Health award (2023-2026). The project is co-hosted in UCC between the School of Public Health and ISS21. Dr Monica O’Mullane is the PI on this four-year programme of research. Dr Tara Kenny is the postdoctoral researcher working on HIA-IM. This project aims to strengthen intersectoral policy and practice in tackling health inequalities through the development of an enhanced HIA implementation model. Specifically, the implementation model will be developed by taking an action research methodological approach to the conduct of two HIAs in Ireland – one at a local policy level, addressing the Cork City Development Plan, and a second at a national policy level, addressing the Irish Government’s Climate Action Plan. A key component of the HIA implementation model will be a Community Engagement Toolkit to facilitate meaningful community engagement in the conduct of HIAs.

Why are we doing this research?

HIA-IM is based on the following research question:

How can we develop a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Implementation Model that will enhance researcher, policy-maker, practitioner, community, and voluntary sector capacity to collaboratively develop and implement intersectoral and equitable policy responses to major population health issues?

What is involved?

The project consists of four work packages:

  • WP1: Action research-led design and implementation of two HIAs using revised national HIA guidance (12): HIA 1 on the Cork City Development Plan (21) and HIA 2 and on the Government Climate Action Plan 
  • WP2: Identification of factors that influence the process of HIA implementation using a hybrid implementation science framework, drawing from the Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR)
  • WP3: Development of a Community Engagement Toolkit in order to optimise community participation in HIA in Ireland
  • WP4: Iterative development of a contextualised, contemporary, Irish HIA implementation model by integrating and triangulating qualitative and quantitative data from all WPs.

HIA-IM Outputs

 Please see the project webpage for outputs throughout the project. 

Health Implementation Research Hub

School of Public Health, Western Gateway Building, T12 XF62,

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