Quantitative Health Impact Assessment of Transport Policies: Two Simulations Related to Speed Limit Reduction and Traffic Re-allocation in the Netherlands

This article reports on a study undertaken to evaluate the usability of existing health impact assessment (HIA) methodology to quantify health effects of transport policies at the local level. The authors quantified the health impact of two simulated but realistic transport interventions: speed limit reduction and traffic re-allocation. These were quantified by selecting traffic-related exposures and health endpoints, modeling of population exposure, selecting exposure-effect relations and estimating the number of local traffic-related cases and disease burden, expressed in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), before and after the intervention. The authors note that exposure information was difficult to retrieve because of the local scale of the interventions and exposure-effect relations for subgroups and combined effects were missing. Given uncertainty in the outcomes originating from this kind of missing information, simulated changes in population health by two local traffic interventions were estimated to be small (<5%), except for the estimated reduction in DALYs by fewer traffic accidents (60%) due to speed limit reduction. The authors conclude that the interpretation of the HIA information should be done in the context of the quality of input data and assumptions and uncertainties of the analysis. However, the data may still be useful for policymakers because, despite uncertainties, they show the order of magnitude and range of health effects that may be expected after the interventions.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13510711
• Authors:
  • Schram-Bijkerk, Dieneke
  • van Kempen, Elise
  • Knol, Anne
  • Kruize, Hanneke
  • Staatsen, Brigit
  • van Kamp, Irene
• Publication Date: 2009-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Print
• Features: Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 685-690
• Serial:
  • Occupational and Environmental Medicine
  • Volume: 66
  • Issue Number: 10
  • Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
  • ISSN: 1351-0711
  • EISSN: 1470-7926
  • Serial URL: http://oem.bmj.com/

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Health; Policy making; Population; Quality of life; Routes and routing; Simulation; Speed limits; Traffic congestion; Traffic crashes; Traffic mitigation
• Uncontrolled Terms: Disability adjusted life years; Health-related quality of life
• Subject Areas: Highways; Policy; Safety and Human Factors; I84: Personal Injuries;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01149249
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 28 2010 9:09AM