Many countries have introduced health impact assessment (HIA) at the national, regional, or local levels. In France and in Québec, there is increasing interest in using HIA to inform decision-makers and influence policies, programs, and projects. This paper aims to compare HIA implementation models in two regions: Nouvelle-Aquitaine (France) and Montérégie (Québec, Canada) using a case study methodology. The objective is to gain a better understanding of the similarities and differences in the approaches used to achieve the operationalization of HIA. The methodological approach involves four steps: (1) design of an analytical framework based on the literature; (2) exchanges within the research team and review of documents concerning the two implementation strategies under study; (3) development of the case studies based on the proposed framework; and (4) cross-comparison analysis of the case studies. The findings show that the two regions share certain similarities, including the strong commitment and political will of the public health organizations involved and a well-established culture of engaging in intersectoral action with municipal partners. Differences mainly concern their different approaches to implementing HIAs in accordance with the regional policies and the organizational and administrative contexts in place. This study identifies potential avenues for supporting the practice of HIA at the municipal level.

Climate change represents a serious threat to the health and well-being of populations. Today, many countries, regions, and cities around the world are implementing policies and strategies to adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects. A scoping review was performed to identify tools and methods that help integrate health into climate change adaptation and mitigation policies and strategies. The literature search includes scientific and grey literature. The scientific literature was conducted using PubMed, Elsevier Embase, and Web of Science databases. A grey literature web search was performed to complement the results. A total of 35 studies (28 from the scientific literature and 7 from the grey literature) were finally included. A large majority of research articles (24/28) and almost all reports (6/7) from the grey literature were published after 2010. Results show that the tools that were found most frequently are the nested models (12/35), health impact assessment (6/35), vulnerability and adaptation assessment (3/35), conceptual frameworks (3/35), and mixed methods (3/35). This review shows an increasing interest in the topic of developing tools to better manage health issues in adaptation and mitigation strategies, with a recent increase in the number of publications. Additional analyses of tools’ effectiveness should be conducted in further studies.

Health impact assessments (HIA) allow evaluation of urban interventions’ potential effects on health and facilitate decision-making in the urban planning process. However, few municipalities have implemented this method in Canada. This paper presents the approach developed with partners, the process, and the outcomes of HIA implementation after seven years of interinstitutional collaborations in Quebec City (ten HIA). Using direct observation and meeting minutes, information includes: perceived role of each institution taking part in HIA beforehand, how the HIA process was implemented, if it was appreciated, and which outcomes were observed. The intersectoral interactions contributed to the development of a common language, which sped up the HIA process over time and fostered positive collaborations in unrelated projects. It was an effective tool to share concerns and responsibilities among independent institutions. This experience resulted in the creation of an informal group of stakeholders from four different institutions that perform HIA to this day in collaboration with researchers.

Introduction : Les effets potentiels des changements climatiques sur la santé font l’objet d’études de plus en plus nombreuses en raison de la multiplicité des risques associés (vagues de chaleur, pollution de l’air, maladies hydriques et vectorielles, etc.). En conséquence, de nombreuses stratégies d’atténuation et d’adaptation, ainsi que des outils ont été développées par les villes pour évaluer les effets sur la santé des changements climatiques, les états et les organisations supranationales. Objectif : L’évaluation d’impact sur la santé (EIS) est un outil qui peut être utilisé pour analyser les impacts potentiels sur la santé des politiques relatives aux changements climatiques avant leur mise en œuvre. L’objectif de notre étude est ainsi d’analyser comment l’EIS est utilisée dans l’élaboration de ces politiques. Méthode : Une revue exploratoire de la littérature grise et scientifique en langue anglaise et française conduite sur la période 1990 à 2019 a permis d’identifier 35 articles et rapports, dont six utilisaient spécifiquement l’EIS. Les domaines d’application de l’outil sont liés au transport, à l’aménagement urbain ou au secteur du bâtiment. Les principaux enjeux de santé abordés dans ces EIS concernent l’air, le bruit, l’activité physique, les îlots de chaleur urbains, les espaces verts, la mixité fonctionnelle. Résultats : Ces études ont montré que l’EIS est une démarche qui peut faciliter la collaboration intersectorielle, et sa flexibilité permet une application à des politiques d’adaptation et d’atténuation, ainsi qu’à plusieurs échelles spatiales (villes, régions). Discussion : La principale limite de cette approche est l’incertitude associée à la quantification des impacts projetés.