Summary

HIP, along with fellow Society of Practitioners of Health Impact Assessment’s Equity Workgroup members, developed this guide to aid HIA practitioners in how to communicate around equity within HIA while purposefully advancing equity.

Advancing equity means identifying and addressing the policies and conditions that lead to systemic, avoidable, unfair, and unjust differences in health outcomes across population groups. Health Impact Assessments (HIAs) offer an opportunity to promote equity, but practitioners often struggle with how to communicate this core value effectively and strategically. A thoughtful communication approach—including a clear plan for the content and presentation of the HIA report and related materials—is essential to ensuring that HIAs can influence policies and drive change. This guide is intended to support HIA practitioners in communicating about equity as a critical part of their work.

Nine strategies for communicating about equity in HIA

1. Know your communication objectives.
2. Choose your audience(s) and understand what motivates them.
3. Describe the problem.
4. Describe your values.
5. Focus on solutions, not just problems.
6. Illustrate the impact through stories, supported by strategic use of data.
7. Use simple terms or phrases to describe the issues. Avoid jargon.
8. Make the case that it is within our ability to make change.
9. Choose your messenger strategically.

Along with these strategies, we provide examples from HIAs and other equity-focused communications.