http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/1086903673

Improving health in the United States the role of health impact assessment

"Many Americans believe that the United States has one of the best health-care systems in the world and that consequently Americans enjoy better health than most of the world's populations. The data, however, do not support that belief. In fact, the United States is ranked 32nd in the world in life expectancy even though it is ranked third in total expenditures on health care as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP). Clearly, good health is determined by more than money spent on the health-care system. In fact, a growing body of research indicates that living conditions - including such factors as housing quality, exposure to pollution, and access to healthy and affordable foods and safe places to exercise - have a greater effect on health. That research highlights the importance of considering health in developing policies, programs, plans, and projects, including ones that may not appear at first to have an obvious relationship to health. Health impact assessment (HIA) has arisen as an especially promising way to factor health considerations into the decision-making process. It has been defined in various ways but essentially is a structured process that uses scientific data, professional expertise, and stakeholder input to identify and evaluate public-health consequences of proposals and suggests actions that could be taken to minimize adverse health impacts and optimize beneficial ones"--Publisher's description.

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