November 2018 Volume 2 Issue 2

C H I A
Chronicles of Health 
Impact Assessment

Improving community health through health impact assessments

LETTER FROM THE SOCIETY OF PRACTITIONERS OF
HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT

Growth in the field has shown us that there is certainly a place for HIAs in shaping the built environment 
and providing input to land use and zoning decisions. However, there is a still a need to better understand the 
information needs of  practitioners across sectors. This issue provides two diverse reads: an HIA that examined 
increasing active transportation through community connectivity; and the unmet information needs and challenges 
that practitioners face in accessing and using data.  

Many risk factors for chronic diseases can be traced to how communities have been built, including their 
connectivity patterns, transportation and active living options, access to goods and services, and site plans. In this 
issue, study authors explore how continuing modifications to the built environment provide opportunities, over 
time, to institute policies and practices that support the provision of  more activity-conducive environments, thereby 
improving the community’s physical and mental health.  

A key consideration in the future of  HIAs is how to more readily share, across sectors, information needed for HIA 
research, as well as information contained in HIAs already produced.  In another article, study authors explore the 
information needs of  practitioners, recognizing it as essential to maximizing the use of  existing and future HIAs. 

The Chronicles of  Health Impact Assessment provides a valuable resource for highlighting successes and challenges 
in the field, and sharing novel and innovative methods to advance health and equity. We hope the ideas and 
recommendations provided through this issue continue to inspire both well-established, as well as fresh approaches 
to HIA practice. 

Prasanthi Persad and Kerry Wyss
Society of  Practitioners of  Health Impact Assessment 

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