Public Health Administration & Research
Government Resources on the World Wide Web
Public Health Administration & Research
Purpose: This web guide has been designed to aid Public Health students and researchers in locating government resources available via the internet. This guide provides links to online databases, catalogs, search engines, and web sites. Almost all resources are government sponsored and/or related to a government funded agency. Very few sites non government related were included but those that were selected were chosen based on their quality of information.
Scope: For the purposes of this guide, Public Health will
include Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology & Biostatistics,
Exercise Science & Physiology, Health Administration, Health Promotion
& Education, and Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology. Definitions
are provided at the beginning of each section. In addition, the final
section provides links to foreign government sources in the public health
arenas discussed here.
General Sources
The following sources are listed here because they either offer
only general public health related information or they fall into two or
more categories of public health.
Ageny for Health Care Policy &
Research: AHCPR
AHCPR is a division of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. It is the "lead agency charged with supporting
research designed to improve the quality of health care, reduce its cost,
and broaden access to essential services." The best place to start
is "How To Use This Web Site." This breaks down the major catagories
(News & Announcements, Funding Opportunities, Research Findings, Quality
Assessment, Clinical Information, Consumer Health, Data, and Information
Products) and explains what each has to offer.
CDC: Center for Disease Control and
Prevention
CDC is an agency of the Department of Health and Human
Services. Its mission is "to promote health and quality of life by
preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability." The
CDC includes 11 Public Health centers, institutes, and offices. Start
with the Health Topics A to Z to find basic information. Short descriptions
about each section of the site are given on the home page.
CDC Wonder
CDC Wonder is a resource produced by the CDC to provide
access to health data standards, scientific data, surveillance, health
statistics, reports and laboratory information. It can be accessed
through CDC's home page by selecting Data & Statistics. Sign
on as an anoynomous user.
Combined Health Information Database
This is a database produced by several health-related
agencies of the Federal Government. CHID provides titles, abstracts, and
availability information for health information and health education resources.
It is updated four times a year and extensively covers 18 public health
topics such as AIDS education, Cancer Prevention, Communication Disorders,
Medical Genetics, and Weight Control. While this source is especially
useful for researchers interested in health promotion or education information,
it is truly a source for anyone within the Public Health field.
Food & Drug Administration: FDA
One of our nation's oldest consumer protection agencies,
FDA's main purpose is to protect American consumers by enforcing the Federal
Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and several other related public health laws.
It is an excellent source for legal information as well as general data
on a variety of topics. Start searching with the Index or with the
links on the home page.
FEDWORLD Information Network
This site, established by NTIS in 1992, offers a comprehensive
central access point for searching, locating, ordering and acquiring government
and business information. The best place to start is with the databases.
FEDWORLD offers several full-text databases, Meta-Databases, and a search
interface for searching selected government web sites.
Global Health
Network
Available in eight different languages, with English
as the default, this site provides access to a variety of health newsletters
and networks. The professionals who developed GHNet bring together expertise
from the essential areas of government, international organizations, business,
and academia. They are all deemed experts in their fields.
This site is essentially a finding aid, designed to lead you to other sites
that have been reviewed and selected for this highly scholarly source.
Health A to Z
Devloped by healthcare professionals, this site
seeks to offer a comprehensive, well-integrated health and medical resource.
Access to a number of Web sites, interactive tools, community tools,
and information centers is provided here. The parent company of HealthAtoZ
is Medical Network, Inc. (MNI). MNI is an Internet health information
and e-commerce company that serves both consumers and healthcare professionals.
With the click of the mouse, select a topic and automatically retrieve
recommended articles, web sites, and finding aids. The query search
at the top of the page allows users to automatically search over 50,000
professionally reviewed health & medical Internet resources.
Overall, this source offers a vast amount of information at just one site.
A highly recommended beginning search tool.
Healthfinder Database
Healthfinder is a free gateway to reliable consumer health
and human services information. It has been developed by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services in conjunction with several other
federal agencies. It provides access to online publications, clearinghouses,
databases, web sites, and support & self-help groups, as well as government
agencies and not-for-profit organizations that provide relevant health
information. Start with the directory on the home page or search
the entire site from the query box at the top of the screen. One
of the best health sites produced by the government!
Library of Congress Online
Catalog
The Library of Congress Catalog is essentially a database
of approximately 12 million records. These records represent books,
serials, computer files, manuscripts, cartographic materials, music, sound
recordings, and visual materials. In addition, the Catalog also displays
searching aids for users, such as cross-references and scope notes. Browse
the catalog by subject, name (personal, corporate or meeting), or call
number; search by title or serial title; search for words or exact phrases
anywhere in the catalog record. Users can limit search results by
language, date, type of material, location of material in the Library,
or place of publication.
National
Library of Medicine Databases: MEDLINE, PubMed, Internet Grateful Med,
and Many More
These databases, produced by the National Library of
Medicine, provides a wide variety of resources related to the biomedical
and health sciences. This site provides access to searchable
databases & databanks, bibliographic citations, full text (when available),
archival collections of prominent biomedical scientists, and images.
Select a topic and link to the relevant database(s)/resource(s).
This site is an excellent source of medical and government information.
National Institutes of Health
NIH is one of the world's leading biomedical research
centers. In addition, NIH serves as the Federal focal point for biomedical
research in the U.S. Their mission is "to uncover new knowledge that will
lead to better health for everyone." It is one of eight health agencies
of the Public Health Service, a division of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services and is comprised of 25 separate Institutes and Centers.
These 25 components can individually be accessed from the home page through
the "Institutes and Offices" link.
National
Park Service Public Health Program
The National Park Public Health Service provides guidance
on issues as diverse as bathing beach sanitation to hazardous materials
incident response training. They are responsible for "protecting
the health of approximately 270 million annual visitors and thousands of
NPS employees at over 360 NPS facilities." The NPS Public Health
Program responsibilities include administration, water, wastewater, food,
vector, and other miscellaneous functions. See the detailed descriptions
of each sector from this page.
National Technical Information Service:
NTIS
NTIS is the federal government's central source for the
sale of scientific, technical, engineering, and related business information
produced by or for the U.S. government. It also provides complementary
material from international sources. It is essentially the only place
on the internet to search for technical reports.
THOMAS Legislative Database
Three major areas are covered by THOMAS -- Legislation,
Congressional Record, and Committee Information. In an effort to make Federal
legislative information freely available to the Internet public, the 104th
Congress teamed up with the Library of Congress to make this comprehensive
legislative database available. It is updated as soon as records
are available, making it one of the nation's most up-to-date legislative
databases.
U.S. Census Bureau
The US Census Bureau is the nation's number one provider
of timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the
United States. The U.S. Department of Commerce serves as the Bureau's parent
organization. This site offers access to the most recent census information.
American Factfinder allows for the construction of charts, while the TIGER
map feature allows users to design demographic maps of the country.
The best place to start is with the topical index. This is essentially
the only place to find governmental demographic information at a comprehensive
access point.
U.S. Department of Health &
Human Services: DHHS or HHS
The Department of Health & Human Services is the
United States government's "principal agency for protecting the health
of all Americans and providing essential human services." The department
includes more than 300 programs. Such programs include Medical &
Social Science research, Disease Prevention, Food & Drug Safety, Maternal
& Infant Health, and Medicare/Medicaid. This source offers direct
access to the Healthfinder database, information about research, policy,
& administration as well as free government gateways.
Environmental Health Science
Environmental Health is defined as "The science of controlling
or modifying those conditions, influences, or forces surrounding man which
relate to promoting, establishing, and maintaining health."
Environment, Safety, &
Health Information Bureau
This site is sponsored by the Office of Environment,
Safety and Health, a Department of Energy (DOE) office. This site
provides information relating to the following topics: Environment, Safety,
Health, Oversight, and Enforcement. Also available at this site are
online publications relating to the afore mentioned topics. For the
most part, the topical index supplied by this site will only lead to the
web sites of DOE sponcered agencies or publications. External sites
are limited but for information relating to the DOE, this is an excellent
source of information.
Environmental Health Information
Service
This site is a service of the NIH-National Institute
of Environmental Health Sciences in conjunction with the DHHS-National
Toxicology Program. It provides access to featured articles, online
publications, and databases. Some of the most useful sources contained
here are the online publication Environmental Health Perspectives, Environews
Archive, and the NAPE Environment & Health Directory.
Environmental Protection Agency
The mission of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
is "to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment —
air, water, and land — upon which life depends." Perform a general
search with keywords or search by zip code. The left side bar allows
users to locate information specifically relating to children, students,
teachers, researchers, scientists, small business owners, industry, and
state/local information. Overall, this is a one stop shop for environmental
information of all kinds.
EPA's Resources
From this menu, select from a variety of information
sources such as the EPA library network, hotlines, clearinghouses, dockets,
information centers, and locator services. In addition, access information
regarding the national records managment program, the center for environmental
information and statistics, and the freedom of information act.
National Center
for Environmental Health
The NCEH's mission is "to provide national leadership,
through science and service, that promotes health and quality of life by
preventing or controlling those diseases, birth defects, disabilities,
or deaths that result from interactions between people and their environment."
Access information about their programs and publications. NCEH is
a center of the CDC.
National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences: NIEHS
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
(NIEHS) is one of 25 Institutes and Centers of the National Institutes
of Health (NIH), which is a component of the Department of Health and Human
Services (DHHS). The mission of the National Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences (NIEHS) is "to reduce the burden of human illness and dysfunction
from environmental causes" by understanding the elements which relate to
these conditions. This site offers a wealth of information such as
disease facts, news, scientific research, outreach programs, grants, electronic
journals, and conference proceedings.
Epidemiology & Biostatistics
Epidemiology is " The study of the distribution
and determinants of health-related states and events in populations and
the control of health problems, the study of epidemic disease. Biostatistics
is defined as "The use of statistics to analyze biological data."
Epidemiology:
Agency for Toxic Substances and
Disease Registry
ATSDR has been established by the government to perform
specific functions concerning the effect on public health by hazardous
substances in the environment. This web site contains valuable information
regarding public health assessments of waste sites, health consultations
concerning specific hazardous substances, health surveillance and registries,
response to emergency releases of hazardous substances, applied research
in support of public health assessments, information development and dissemination,
and education and training concerning hazardous substances. Search
directly or browse the site.
Comprehensive Epidemiologic Data Resource
(CEDR)
This site was created and is maintained by the Department
of Energy (DOE). It provides access to health and exposure data concerning
DOE installations. In addition, studies of populations residing near
DOE installations as well as other studies of radiation health effects
are represented here. This site provides some excellent reference
resources as well as a CEDR glossary.
Epidemiology Program Office
EPO is a division of the CDC: Centers for Disease Control.
Their mission is "to strengthen the public health system by coordinating
public health surveillance at CDC and providing domestic and international
support through scientific communications, statistical and epidemiologic
consultation, and training of experts in surveillance, epidemiology, applied
public health, and prevention effectiveness." View news & events, publications
& software, public health surveillence information, epidemic intelligence
service (eis), training, international bulletins, or information about
EPO.
Hazardous Substance
Release and Health Effects Database
The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
developed this database to provide a scientific and administrative database
to provide access to information about the release of hazardous substances
from Superfund sites or from emergency events and about the effects of
hazardous substances on the health of human populations.
National Cancer Institute: NCI
View recent research, legislation, administrative actions,
or basic cancer information from this national health institute.
Also check out current Cancer Trials and some of the other links to cancer
information on the front page.
NCI's Cancer Net
Search from a patient, health professional, or basic
researcher's perspective. This database includes selected information from
PDQ, NCI's comprehensive cancer database, CANCERLIT bibliographic database,
fact sheets, news and other resources.
National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute: NHLBI
This National Health Institute plans, conducts, fosters,
and supports an integrated and coordinated program of basic research, clinical
investigations and trials, observational studies, and demonstration and
education projects. Investigate current research findings, news &
press releases, clinical guidelines, and basic health information.
National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases: NIAID
This institute is dedicated to the following four research
divisions: AIDS; Allergy, Immunology, & Transplantation; Microbiology
& Infectious Diseases; Extramural Activities. Each division offers
basic information, conference/meeting summaries, research resources, supported
programs, and publications. The publications tend to be online reference
publications (handbooks, manuals, etc.).
Biostatistics:
Bureau of Labor Statistics: BLS
The Bureau of Labor Statistics is an agency within the
U.S. Department of Labor. This site provides access to a variety
of statistics and data regarding the department of labor. Search
by keyword or by region.
Child Stats
This site provides access to federal and state statistics
and reports on children and their families. Most information provided
is demographic information, such as population and family characteristics,
economic security, health, behavior and social environment & education.
FEDSTATS: One Stop Shopping for
Federal Statistics
This site indexes the statistics of more than 70 government
agencies. Get fast facts or search through the alphabetical index.
In addition there is a listing of the agencies who have contributed to
the site. Start here to make sure the agency you want is included.
The Federal Interagency Council on Statistical Policy maintains this site.
International
Statistical Agencies
This site was created and is maintained by the US Census
Bureau. It is essentially a directory of agencies from around the
world that provide public access to their statistics. It is alphabetical
by country. The bottom of the page provides a link to InfoNation
which provides access to the most current statistical data for the Member
States of the United Nations. Please note that this list does not
provide any links to US Statistical sites.
National Center for Health
Statistics
For US Health Statistics, use this site created and maintained
by CDC.
Exercise Science
Exercise Science is "concerned with studying the relationship
between exercise participation and human health and with delivering physical
activity programs that prevent disease and promote health." This
includes both exercise physiology and motor control.
American
Society of Exercise Physiologists
Access information about this organization or locate
relevant search engines, online journals, or exercise physiology web links.
ASEP has many goals and objectives. Two such goals are " To provide
a powerful, unified forum and opportunity for exercise physiologists to
present and discuss current research in exercise physiology" and " To expand
federal and private funding of exercise physiology research and training."
Please note that this is not a government sponcered site but it could lead
to valuable government information via the search engines and links provided.
Food and Nutrition Information
Center (FNIC)
The FNIC is one of several information centers at the
National Agricultural Library (NAL), which is part of the United States
Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS).
From this site, access resource lists and databases created by the FNIC,
as well as many other useful food and nutrition related links.
Health World Online
Perform a keyword search or just visit one of the centers
on the home page. Either way, this source provides a wealth of information
for exercise physiologists as well as other professionals within the field
of public health. Access databases, resource lists, fact sheets,
and much more. This site is a great place to start researching.
Health Administration
Health Administration includes the study of "health services
management, policy, research, and education."
Administration for Children &
Families
ACF is a division of the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS). ACF is responsible for federal programs that promote
the economic and social well-being of families, children, and communities.
Select a topic or a program/office from the pull down menus at the bottom
of the page, or select one of the links on the left side bar to begin searching.
Access fact sheets, news, or internet links. ACF covers a wide range
of topics relating to the health of families and communities.
Administration on Aging
This site provides "information designed for Older Americans
and their families as well as those concerned about providing the opportunities
and services to enrich the lives of older persons and support their independence."
Under the heading "Information for:" select which link applies to you:
Older Persons & Their Families; Practitioners & Professionals;
Researchers & Students. Or just go straight to the Aging Network.
This site contains fact sheets, press releases, news, a resource directory,
as well as many other resource lists and directories.
Community & Public
Health Administration (Maryland Government Site)
This is a wonderfully organized and informative site.
Select one of the following from the top bar menu: offices/programs, topical
index, reports & statistics, or local health departments. While
this is a state government site rather than a national site, it provides
invaluable information about community health administration. The
topical index is the best place to start.
Health Resources and Services
Administration: HRSA
HRSA directs national health programs which improve the
health of the Nation by assuring quality health care to underserved, vulnerable
and special-need populations and by promoting appropriate health professions
workforce capacity and practice, particularly in primary care and public
health. It is a division of the US Department of Health & Human
Services. The news room offers links to publications, feature articles,
news briefs & releases, fact sheets, and speeches.
Medicare
Learn everything you ever wanted to know about Medicare
at this site. Access general information about the scope of medicare
or dig into more specific information by accessing health plans, publications,
articles, and much more. This site can be translated into spanish
or the asian languages. Search directly or select one of the folders
on the left side bar.
Mine Safety & Health Administration
The mission of MSHA is "to administer the provisions
of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act) and to enforce
compliance with mandatory safety and health standards as a means to eliminate
fatal accidents; to reduce the frequency and severity of nonfatal accidents;
to minimize health hazards; and to promote improved safety and health conditions
in the Nation's mines." Find out about their programs or access news,
topical information, statistics, and technical information.
Occupational Safety & Health Administration:
OSHA
Similar to Mine Safety & Health Administration, OSHA's
mission is " to save lives, prevent injuries and protect the health of
America's workers." They accomplish this through enforcement of national
and state laws. Access news, regulation information, the OSHA library,
or topical information (subject index). Also search directly or view
hot topics.
Substance Abuse & Mental Health
Services Administration: SAMHSA
Learn everything you ever wanted to know about substance
abuse and mental health services. Select the link that best suits
your needs: looking for substance abuse/mental health information; looking
for professional, program, or budget information; looking for help with
alcohol, drug, or mental health problems. In addition, users can
search directly or access news, program information, or statistics from
the left side bar.
Health Promotion & Education
This interdisciplinary field is defined as "the science and art
of helping people change their lifestyles to move toward a state of optimal
health. Specifically, though, Health promotion is "Encouraging
consumer behaviors most likely to optimize health potentials (physical
and psycho social) through health information, preventive programs, and
access to medical care. Health education is "Education that
increases the awareness and favorably influences the attitudes and knowledge
relating to the improvement of health on a personal or community basis.
Health Promotion:
Health Promotion
Online
This source offers a wealth of information on health
promotion. Select a topic/program from the left side menu or access
HPO's 10 hottest resources, online discussion group forum, directory of
health organizations, statistics, and news. While most of the information
only pertains to Canadian health promotion programs, it is still a relevant
source with many ideas to convey. Access this site in english or
french.
National Center for Chronic
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
This site offers a great deal of information on preventing
and promoting chronic disease. Gather general information about chronic
diseases and risk behaviors or see how chronic disease is effecting certain
populations as well as what is being done to prevent outbreaks. Finally,
see publications or find related links. This site was created and
is maintained by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Office of Disease Prevention
and Health Promotion
The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
works in conjunction with the Office of Public Health and Science, Office
of the Secretary, and the U.S.Department of Health and Human Services to
strengthen the disease prevention and health promotion priorities of the
government. This site offers fact sheets and publications online.
U.S. Army Center for Health
Promotion & Preventive Medicine
Much like the Naval Health Promotion site, the Army's
Center for Health Promotion seeks to prevent environmental, occupational,
and disease threats to the health and performance of individuals and communities.
This site offers background on their program, related sites, and conference
proceedings. This index proves to be one of the most useful links
on this site.
Health Education:
Educational Resources Information
Center (ERIC)
The ERIC is "a nationwide information network that acquires,
catalogs, summarizes, and provides access to education information from
all sources." This site allows searching capability for the ERIC
database or any of the other ERIC funded clearinghouses/databases.
These other databases include National Parent Information Network, ERIC/ACVE,
ERIC/CASS, ERIC/EC, ERIC/CEM, ERIC-HE. From the top of the screen,
search any or all of the ERIC clearinghouses.
National Library of Education
The National Library of Education is the government's
main resource center for educational materials. Select from the gateway
of education (GEM), the virtual reference desk (VRD), the education resources
information center (ERIC), the national clearinghouse for educational facilities
(NCEF), the US Network for education information (USNEI), or ed pubs (ED
PUBS) ordering service.
Speech-Language Pathology & Audiology
Speech-Language Pathology is
defined as "The study of speech or language disorders and their diagnosis
and correction."
Audiology is simply "The study of hearing."
National Council on Disability
The NCD is an independent federal agency that makes recommendations
to the President and Congress on issues affecting the 54 million Americans
with disabilities. Their main purpose is "to promote policies, programs,
practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals
with disabilities." This site offers documents and bulletins as well
as information on youth, family, and federal agencies.
National Institute on Deafness
and Other Communication Disorders: NIDCD
This site offers excellent information provided by the
national institutes of health. The home page serves as a directory
with links to information such as health information, research funding,
intramurual research, and News & events. NIDCD is the federal
governments primary source for biomedical research. They were mandated
in 1998 by the National Institutes of Health "to conduct and support biomedical
and behavioral research and research training in the normal and disordered
processes of hearing, balance, smell, taste, voice, speech, and language.
National Institute
on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
The NIDRR's primary goal is "to more fully integrate
disability research into the mainstream of our nation’s policies regarding
science and technology, health care, and economics." It is funded
by the US Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation
Services. The best place to begin searching in under the menu for
"Information on" and select "research topics."
Foreign Government Sources in the Public Health Arenas
General Finding Aids
HealthNet: SATELLIFE's
Global Communications Network (for Africa, Asia, Central American, and
South America)
Public
Health Resources by Geographic Location
USAID Regions &
Countries
Australia
Drugs--Turning
the Tides
Health ACT(Australian
Capital Territory) Community Care
National Public Health
Partnership
Public Health
& Development Division: Human Services
Public Health South
Australia
Canada
Guam
Deparment of Public Health & Social Services (Guam)
Iceland
Ministry of Health and Social Security (Iceland)
Ireland
North Western Health Board--Public Health Department (Ireland)
Lebenon
Ministry of Public Health (Lebenon)
Republic of Slovenia
Institute of Public Health (Republic of Slovenia)
Singapore
Ministry of Health (Singapore)
Tasmania
Department of Health & Human Services (Tasmania)
Thailand
Ministry of Public Health (Thailand)
United Kingdom
Public Health Laboratory Service
(UK)
Royal Institute of Public Health
and Hygience (UK)
Public Health Reports (UK)
Public Health Group
(UK)