PUBHLTH 323 Public Health Communications
tips and resources for students taking junior year writing course
Background Sources
For your project, you need to get find background information on your public health issue. Below are some reliable sources you can use that will help you explain the Problem and the Etiology of your issue.
- Encyclopedias in the LibraryUMass Amherst Libraries has several different encyclopedias that give brief overviews on various topics.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)The CDC Publishes reports and data online about various health issues.
- National Institutes of Health (NIH)The NIH also provides reports about health issues.
- World Health Organization (WHO)Includes health-related statistics for almost 200 countries
- Healthy People"Healthy People 2030 sets data-driven national objectives to improve health and well-being over the next decade."
- CRS Reports This link opens in a new windowCongressional Research Service reports are compiled by the Library of Congress for members of the Senate and House of Representatives on various issues.
Uncheck all but CRS reports when doing your search.
- Annual ReviewsHome page for over 50 journals on topics in Biomedical/Life Sciences, Physical Sciences, and Social Sciences
- Mass.gov Dept of Public HealthLinks to Massachusetts initiatives, policies, statistics, reports
If you are selecting a community in another state, try an internet search for that state and department of public health
Helpful Websites for Health Communication Campaign
Both the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) produce various types of Health Communication Campaigns - from simple fact sheets about a disease to entire toolkits with infographics, videos, and posters.
I've included links to the main CDC and WHO websites first, then provided additional links to specific examples from each.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)The CDC publishes reports and data online about various health issues.
- World Health Organization (WHO)Includes health-related statistics for almost 200 countries
Demographic Information
Some state and local websites might have some demographic data, but these national-level sites let you get data from various levels - country, state, county, town/city, and sometimes zip code.
- Explore Census Data (formerly American Fact Finder)Gather the most up-to-date demographic information on the US population including insurance coverage, access, education, age, and more. You can refine by state, county, and zip-code to get particular information.
- American Community SurveyData, statistics, interactive graphs/charts, publications, and reports on the US population. From the US Census Bureau.
- HealthLandscapeInteractive website where you can map county-level demographic and health data.
- International Data BaseProvides a variety of demographic indicators for many countries and areas of the world
Policy Articles
Some databases that might have scholarly articles about health-related policies:
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window"Health Policy" is one of JSTOR's disciplines, with 24 sources indexed, including the Journal of Public Health Policy, Public Health Reports, and Milbank Quarterly. Also has a "Health Sciences" discipline.
CLICK ON ADVANCED SEARCH and use the JOURNAL FILTER to limit your search to only these catagories. - PolicyFile This link opens in a new windowFull text policy papers from think tanks, research institutes, and agencies.
- PAIS International This link opens in a new windowArticles, government documents, reports in the fields of political science, public and social policy, international relations 1915-.
Reputable Websites (from HPP 616 Health Policy in the U.S. guide)
Trusted websites can provide valuable information about an issue, some that may not be found in academic journal articles.
- Academy HealthHealth policy research and policy information.
- Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)Research, reports, data, statistics, and policy information relating to relevant healthcare topics. An agency of the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services.
- American Community SurveyData, statistics, interactive graphs/charts, publications, and reports on the US population. From the US Census Bureau.
- American Health Care AssociationProvides information on the health care delivery system including legislation, research and data, and publications.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)CDC is a good source for updated facts and figures on a whole host of different health topics.
Good resource to get the numbers and impact figures you may need to make the case for your issue. - The Commonwealth FundInformation on health policy, healthcare delivery system, data, and research focusing on vulnerable populations.
- Explore Census Data (formerly American Fact Finder)Gather the most up-to-date demographic information on the US population including insurance coverage, access, education, age, and more. You can refine by state, county, and zip-code to get particular information.
- Health AffairsPeer-reviewed publication with reports, data, and information for healthcare related issues.
- HealthLandscapeInteractive website where you can map county-level demographic and health data.
- Health Workforce Equity Trackers"Tracking who is providing services, what services, where, and for whom."
- Healthy People"Healthy People 2030 sets data-driven national objectives to improve health and well-being over the next decade."
- Kaiser Family FoundationDiverse information on health policy and national health news including interactive graphs, infographics, and charts.
- Kaiser Health NewsUpdated daily, Kaiser Health News provides both emerging health policy topics and links to additional information
- Massachusetts Department of Public HealthYou can do a Google search to find websites for Public Health Departments in other states.
- Massachusetts Health and Human ServicesYou can do a Google search to find websites for other states.
- National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP)Provides publications, reports, data, and statistics on state health policy topics.
- National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL)Good research on what legislation is currently being deliberated and past legislative activity.
- National Governor's AssociationCompilation of legislative activity in the States. Visiting the State Health Policy Options page provides information on health related policy.
- Office of The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE)Information on policy research, evaluation, legislation, and more with reports, data, and graphics available at the site. An office of the U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services.
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)Find updated news, reports, and data on pertinent health policy and health system topics.
- State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC)Current publications including issue briefs and reports on emerging health policy topics.
- State Health CompareCurrent information on state health insurance coverage, access, and cost, analyzed by SHADAC.
