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The European Environment and Health Information System (ENHIS) developed a methodology for a set of indicators to measure and report on health and its relation to environmental risk factors, focusing on children’s health.

Methodological guidelines were developed for 30 indicators giving the rationale, definition, required data elements, calculation method, data sources, interpretation and policy relevance. A standardized methodology sheet was prepared to ensure that the information collected was consistent and presented in a user-friendly manner. It includes the rationale and definition of the indicator, underlying concepts and definitions, specification of the data needed, data sources, availability and quality, method of computing the indicator, scale of application, interpretation of the result, linkage with other indicators, details of any related data and web sites, policy and regulatory context of the indicator and any relevant reporting obligations.

Indicators

ENHIS indicators aim at reflecting and communicating the status of environment and health issues in Europe. They are tools to monitor health and environment trends in countries, to evaluate the effectiveness of relevant policies and to make comparisons of countries’ progress towards the targets set in Europe-wide action programmes. They can be adapted to national situations, meeting the specific needs of a country, and providing guidance on effective actions.

At their first release in 2007, ENHIS indicators helped building a baseline assessment of the situation in the WHO European Region with a view of achieving the goals of the Children’s Environment and Health Action Plan for Europe (CEHAPE). As new data are collected and the topics considered possibly expand, the indicators will allow monitoring progress and developments.

Selection criteria

• Topic areas were defined based on the information needs of current policies, in particular the CEHAPE.
• A number of indicators were identified using the state-of-art scientific evidence about environment-related health impacts.
• The focus was on environmental factors most relevant to health, on health outcomes most influenced by the environment, and on policy actions deemed to reduce and prevent the risks.
• Finally, 26 core indicators were selected; 12 of them are applicable to the general population.