Development of methods for quantitative health impact assessments
To ensure informed policy making and facilitate cooperation between policy makers within different sectors it is important to be able to quantify and compare scenarios of expected consequences on population health of major policy initiatives and interventions. Quantitative health impact assessment tools are developed for this purpose.
At the Section of Social Medicine, Department of Public Health, we are collaborating with the international research group, which developed the EU-funded DYNAMO-HIA model (Dynamic Model for Health Impact Assessment), and we have implemented this model for quantitative health impact assessment for use in a local Danish context. Further, we are expanding the model in order to include social inequality aspects into the calculation of expected change in population health effects. An example of this work is a project, which estimated the effect on tobacco-related illness and death of different intervention scenarios targeted tobacco consumption in Copenhagen.
Our work on development of methods for quantitative health impact assessments is carried out in collaboration with the health administration in the Municipality of Copenhagen and other relevant partners.
Other projects carried out at the Section of Social Medicine have applied different methods for quantification in health impact assessment than the DYNAMO-HIA model and have analyzed the effect of traffic policy and increased cycling on the burden of disease in Copenhagen, and analyzed the cost-effectiveness of a number of interventions targeted high alcohol consumption. Studies on the exposure-response functions of health effects of air pollution and exercise are performed for optimum input in health impact assessment.
Holm AL, Veerman L, Cobiac L, Ekholm O, Diderichsen F. Cost-effectiveness of changes in alcohol taxation in Denmark: a modelling study. Cost Effectiveness and Resource Allocation. 2014 jan 9;12(1).
Holm AL, Brønnum-Hansen H, Robinson KM, Diderichsen F. Assessment of health impacts of decreased smoking prevalence in Copenhagen: Application of the DYNAMO-HIA model. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health. 2014 maj 8.
Holm AL, Veerman L, Cobiac L, Ekholm O, Diderichsen F. Cost-effectiveness of preventive interventions to reduce alcohol consumption in denmark. PloS one. 2014;9(2):e88041.
Holm AL, Laursen M-B, Koch BM, Jensen JD, Diderichsen F. The health benefits of selective taxation as an economic instrument in relation to IHD and nutrition-related cancers. Public Health Nutrition. 2013;1-8.
Holm AL, Glümer C, Diderichsen F. Health Impact Assessment of increased cycling to place of work or education in Copenhagen. BMJ Open. 2012 jan 24;2(4).
Raaschou-Nielsen O, Andersen ZJ, Jensen SS, Ketzel M, Sørensen M, Hansen J, Loft S, Tjønneland A, Overvad K. Traffic air pollution and mortality from cardiovascular disease and all causes: a Danish cohort study. Environmental Health. 2012 Sep 5;11:60
Andersen ZJ, de Nazelle A, Mendez MA, Garcia-Aymerich J, Hertel O, Tjønneland A, Overvad K, Raaschou-Nielsen O, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ. A Study of the Combined Effects of Physical Activity and Air Pollution on Mortality in Elderly Urban Residents: The Danish Diet, Cancer, and Health Cohort. Environmental Health Perspectives on line 2015
Contact:
Associate Professor
Henrik Brønnum-Hansen
Mail: henrik.bronnum-hansen@sund.ku.dk
Professor
Zorana Jovanovic Andersen
Mail: vlq961@sund.ku.dk
Professor emeritus
Finn Diderichsen
Mail: fidi@sund.ku.dk
Professor
Steffen Loft
Mail: stl@sund.ku.dk
Others:
Astrid Ledgaard Holm