Bottom-Up Policy Risk Assessment

The top-down risk assessment that fits the classical HIA method and its application on policy was in depth presented in the previous chapter. Many public health experts find large policies difficult to assess as for their impact on health. People knowing health outcome and its societal burden well may find it easier to find proper policies starting from the bottom line—from health outcome. The use of complex causal process diagrams for analyzing health impacts of policy interventions was already described. The RAPID guidance based on bottom-up approach might be helpful to act more efficiently in reducing prevalence of health outcomes by identification and selection of proper policies for structural intervention. The health outcome was taken as a starting point and assessment through levels of risk factors and determinants of health lead to identification of policies needed to reduce burden of health outcome.