What are the key indicators of environmental health assessment and evaluation?

2 Health outcome indicators

Health outcome indicators are measures of the health status or effects of exposure to environmental agents. They can include morbidity, mortality, disability, quality of life, or health-related behaviors. Health outcome indicators can help assess the burden and trends of environmental health problems, and identify the most vulnerable or affected populations, groups, or individuals. They can also help evaluate the effectiveness and impact of interventions and policies to improve environmental health.

3 Risk indicators

Risk indicators are measures of the probability or likelihood of adverse health effects from exposure to environmental agents. They can be derived from epidemiological studies, toxicological experiments, or risk assessment models. Risk indicators can help estimate the magnitude and uncertainty of the health risks associated with different exposure scenarios, and prioritize the most important or urgent environmental health issues. They can also help communicate the risk information to stakeholders and the public, and support risk management and prevention strategies.

4 Intervention indicators

Intervention indicators are measures of the actions or policies taken to prevent or reduce exposure to environmental agents or to improve health outcomes. They can include indicators of inputs, outputs, outcomes, or impacts of interventions, such as resources, activities, coverage, compliance, effectiveness, or cost-effectiveness. Intervention indicators can help monitor and evaluate the implementation and performance of interventions, and identify the gaps, barriers, or facilitators of intervention delivery. They can also help demonstrate the benefits and value of interventions, and inform future planning and improvement.

5 Context indicators

Context indicators are measures of the environmental, social, economic, political, or cultural factors that influence exposure to environmental agents or health outcomes. They can include indicators of environmental quality, determinants of health, health system capacity, governance, or public awareness. Context indicators can help describe the baseline and background conditions and trends of environmental health, and identify the drivers, challenges, or opportunities for environmental health improvement. They can also help compare and benchmark the environmental health performance of different regions, countries, or sectors.