IN-PERSON London. Section A

Abstract

Decision makers must satisfying growing demands for sustainability, health and unrelenting economic growth, a challenge when key resources are scarcer. In Ireland, the Galway Transport Strategy (GTS) has brought this complexity to the surface of national discourse. To secure a healthy population, decision makers must prioritise health. However, health has rarely featured in the discourse. To help secure a healthy population, a health impact assessment (HIA) of the GTS was conducted while it was being revised by its owners. The Institute of Public Health’s HIA guidance was followed. In the context of an ageing population, the GTS could have significant negative health impacts through its effects on physical activity and social isolation/loneliness. To communicate the findings to the GTS owners, the public and other stakeholders, engagement was built through multiple channels by being positive, empathising, offering solutions, translating knowledge effectively, focusing on key local issues and avoiding confrontation by working through the third and fourth dimensions of power. This HIA has led to valuable insights into how public health and impact assessment practice can advance a Health in All Policies approach to secure a healthy population.