Health Lens Analysis: A Strategy to Engage Community in Environmental Health Research in Action

Sharon Ron, Noelle Dimitri, Shir Lerman Ginzburg, Ellin Reisner, Pilar Botana Martinez, Wig Zamore, Ben Echevarria, Doug Brugge and Linda S. Sprague Martinez
Additional contact information
Sharon Ron: Metropolitan Area Planning Council, 60 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111, USA
Noelle Dimitri: School of Social Work, Boston University, 264 Bay State Rd., Boston, MA 02215, USA
Shir Lerman Ginzburg: Department of Public Health Sciences, UConn Health, Farmington, CT 06032, USA
Ellin Reisner: Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
Pilar Botana Martinez: Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany Ave., Boston, MA 02118, USA
Wig Zamore: Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership, Somerville, MA 02145, USA
Ben Echevarria: The Welcome Project, 530 Mystic Ave., Somerville, MA 02145, USA
Doug Brugge: Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, 263 Farmington Ave., Farmington, CT 06030, USA
Linda S. Sprague Martinez: Macro Department, School of Social Work, Boston University, 264 Bay State Rd., Boston, MA 02215, USA

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 4, 1-13

Abstract: Health Lens Analysis (HLA) is a tool to facilitate collaboration among diverse community stakeholders. We employed HLA as part of a community-based participatory research (CBPR) and action study to mitigate the negative health effects of traffic-related air pollution TRAP and ultrafine particles (UFPs) in Somerville, MA. HLA is a Health in All Policies tool with previously limited implementation in a North American context. As part of the HLA, community and academic partners engaged residents from across near-highway neighborhoods in a series of activities designed to identify health concerns and generate recommendations for policies and projects to improve health over an 18-month planning period. Noise barriers, which may reduce TRAP exposure among residents in addition to reducing traffic noise, were seen as an acceptable solution by community stakeholders. We found HLA to be an effective means to engage stakeholders from across sectors and diverse community residents in critical discourse about the health impacts of near-roadway exposures. The iterative process allowed the project team to fully explore the arguments for noise barriers and preferred health interventions, while building a stakeholder base interested in the mitigation of TRAP, thus creating a shared language and understanding of the issue.

Keywords: health lens analysis; traffic-related air pollution; community engagement; resident-driven design; health in all policies; noise barriers; social determinants of health; community planning (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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