The role of health impact assessment in advancing sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The World Health Organization's (WHO's) Commission on Social Determinants of Health formally adopted Health Impact Assessment (HIA) more than a decade ago as a promising concept to address underlying health issues. Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) remains one of the regions of the world with minimal application of HIA in public programs and policies. This special report documents the need for public mechanisms to incorporate HIA, the benefits from its application, and steps to promote its use. The authors discuss the role of HIA in the sustainable development of IAC to address social determinants of health.