Health Impact Assessment

A Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a process to evaluate the potential positive and negative public health effects of a plan, project, or policy before it is approved, built, or implemented. State, federal, and tribal governments; community organizations; and other groups are increasingly conducting HIAs to inform decision-making processes for transportation, land use, climate change, and other sectors. Conducting an HIA requires access to high-quality data about many different areas that affect our health including environmental, cultural, economic, and social conditions.

Tracking Data Can Inform HIAs

CDC's Tracking Network is an excellent data source for environmental hazards, exposures, and health conditions that can be a valuable asset to the HIA process. The Tracking Network provides not only national data but also state and local data. These data may be used in several HIA steps, including community engagement, scoping, assessment, and evaluation. See the data use suggestions in the data user's guide section of this webpage and this video about how to search Tracking Network data.

Learn More
CDC's Healthy Places Website has more background information and additional resources for HIAs.