Synthesis and summary

The most common definition of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is the one set forth by the European Office of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1999 in what is known as the “Gothenburg consensus paper.” HIA is presented as “a combination of procedures, methods and tools by which a policy, program or project may be judged as to its potential effects on the health of a population, and the distribution of those effects within the population” (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 1999).

…

Deliberative processes such as citizens’ juries, consensus conferences, or deliberative polls are increasingly used to engage citizens and stakeholders about challenging public health issues for the purposes of informing policymaking (Abelson, 2009; Scutchfield, Hall, & Ireson, 2006). Yet, there is a paucity of research evidence about the effectiveness of deliberative processes in real settings (Culyer & Lomas, 2006; Mendelberg, 2002).

The purpose of this fact sheet is to…

The built environment has an influence on lifestyle and body weight

Physical activity is promoted through:

Healthy eating is promoted through:

Alcohol consumption is a public health issue because it causes many health and social harms:

Speaking to the First Nations of Québec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission's 2007-2017 Blueprint, this review provides valuable information to guide the development of research on First Nations and Inuit.

Between 2008 and 2009, both the First Nations of Québec and Labrador Health and Social Services Commission (FNQLHSSC) and the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) worked together to achieve this report. It follows through with the commitment made by…

Since 2000, the resurgence of syphilis in Québec has led to increased screening and resulted in a greater number of reported cases, particularly in the Montréal area. To meet the growing demand for laboratory testing, some medical diagnostic laboratories have introduced an enzyme immunoassay (EIA) test into their syphilis detection algorithm. This situation raised concerns among general practitioners, microbiologists and infectious disease specialists with regards to the interpretation of…

Given that certain questions have been raised regarding the results of studies on the effects of SISs, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) has taken the initiative of carrying out a critical analysis of these studies.

The objective of this report is to evaluate the relevance of establishing supervised injection sites in the province of Québec. It is based on a critical analysis of the scientific research carried out to date on the effects of SISs and on a review…

Randomized comparative trials have shown that screening can reduce the mortality from colorectal cancer. However, due to difficulties of implementation, as observed in various countries, the expected benefits might not be achieved. The Committee recommends that the following conditions be met prior to implementing a provincial program:

Accessibility to colonoscopic examinations should be governed by the implementation of clinical, quality and performance standards that will be…

One of the projected consequences of climate change (CC) is an increase in weather events or situations which until now have been rare, such as heavy precipitation or extended periods of drought. In this context, major infrastructure is likely to be affected by changes in the water regime, including the drinking water supply. Climatic variables that may affect volumes available for drinking water in a context of CC include rainfall and temperature. In the event of a significant change in…

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic bacteria that are naturally present in the earth’s fresh water and salt water ecosystems; they are not algae despite the fact that they are referred to as blue-green algae. For millions of years, these micro-organisms have been intimately associated with the development of life on the planet, since they helped enrich the earth’s atmosphere with oxygen. Through biosynthesis, they also produce several groups of substances including cyanotoxins. From an…