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Health Impact Assessment Diagrams

Tracking Network Diagrams and Case Studies by HIA

Below are diagrams for three different common HIAs that illustrate how Tracking Network data may be helpful.

Transportation

Road Paving

Diagram: Transportation

Transportation planning and design provides a great opportunity to protect public health. Careful transportation planning can:

  • promote physical activity which can help reduce obesity and prevent physical injuries, and improve cardiovascular, respiratory, and mental health
  • reduce air pollution, especially fine particles and ozone.

Major transportation corridors often create pollution levels that are higher than in ambient air and they include vulnerable populations that may have many health and environmental concern (e.g., high rates of asthma, poor air quality, and poverty/low incomes). HIAs can help prevent or reduce additional burdens on these communities. For more information, and case studies, see the Transportation HIA Toolkit.

For Transportation related HIAs, the Tracking Network has

  • community design data as motor vehicle fatalities, access to parks and schools, and types of transportation to work
  • asthma hospital stays, prevalence, and emergency department visits
  • heart attack hospital stays
  • outdoor air quality measures for ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5)
  • a health impact assessment tool that estimates the number of deaths that could be prevented by lowering PM2.5 concentration levels
  • population demographics and socioeconomic measures
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Land Use

Family Walking

Diagram: Land Use

Land use decisions affect how people live and their health. Communities that are designed to encourage physical activity, such as walking and biking, help promote healthy behaviors. These healthy behaviors, in turn, reduce obesity and chronic diseases such diabetes and heart disease. Land use refers to a broad set of community design and built environment topics, including zoning, access to parks, walkability, and transportation.

For Land Use HIAs, the Tracking Network has

  • outdoor air quality measures for ozone and fine particulate matter (PM2.5)
  • community design indicators such as motor vehicle fatalities, access to parks and schools, and types of transportation to work
  • population demographics and socioeconomic measures
  • asthma hospital stays, prevalence, and emergency department visits
  • heart attack hospital stays
  • childhood blood lead levels
  • age of housing
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Climate Change

Hazy City

Diagram: Heat and Ozone

Evidence suggests that the world's climate is becoming warmer. While climate predictions vary by region in the United States, more extreme weather is likely to occur. This will increase the potential for:

  • more intense tropical cyclones
  • more frequent and severe heat waves
  • increased precipitation or drought
  • more frequent heavy precipitation events (such as rain and snow)
  • flooding as a result of heavy precipitation
  • sea level increases
  • additional air pollution (such as ozone and allergens in the air like pollen and mold)

Many local communities are forming action plans to prepare for their adaptation to a changing climate. Assessing current and projected health effects may help communities estimate how their changing climate, without further adaptation, may affect their health and environment. To assist with a climate related HIA, the Tracking Network has data on:

  • extreme heat days and events
  • heat stress hospital stays and emergency department visits
  • heat vulnerability
  • heat-related deaths
  • asthma hospital stays, prevalence, and emergency department visits
  • temperature distribution
  • ozone
  • population demographics and socioeconomic measures

You can read more about CDC's climate adaptation work on our Climate and Health Program website.

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Other Sectors and Case Studies

Tracking Network data may be used to inform many other types of HIAs beyond the examples described above. For case studies and examples of different types of HIAs, see:

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