Research Guides

Government Public Health Information Resources

WHO Statistical Information System
http://www.who.int/whosis/menu.cfm
The purpose of this WHOSIS website (WHO Statistical Information System) is to describe and to the extent possible provide access to statistical and epidemiological data and information presently available from the World Health Organization and elsewhere in electronic or other formats.

• American FactFinder
  http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet
  Online search engine for 1990 and 2000 Census data. Allows user to produce a report customizing geography and census data. Also provides mapping capability for geograpgy and themes.
  
• Atlas of United States Mortality
  http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/other/atlas/atlas.htm
  The atlas shows the leading causes of death by race and sex for small U.S. geographic areas referred to as Health Service Areas (HSA’s).
  
• CancerNet
  CancerNet, sponsored the National Cancer Institute, provides extensive information on cancer and cancer treatment. In addition, there are links to:
  • CANCERLIT, NCI's bibliographic database
  • cancerTrials, NCI's comprehensive clinical trials information center
  • PDQ Cancer Information Summaries, PDQ Clinical Trials Registry
  • Cancer statistics
  • Databases useful to researchers
  • Abstracts and tables of contents for issues of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, from October 1994 to present.
    
• CDC National Prevention Information Network
  The CDC National Prevention Information Network (NPIN) is the U.S. national reference, referral and distribution service for information on HIV/AIDS, STD's, and TB, sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.The network offers access to the following databases:
  • Funding Databases
  • Resources and Services (over 19,000 organizations)
  • Prevention News (abstracts of news articles)
  • Education Materials Database.
    
• Centers for Disease Control
  The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) presents information about health, disease, and disease prevention. Among the products available at this website:
  • Health Information offers information about specific diseases
  • Publications, Software and Products lists CDC publications and products
  • Some full text publications, such as Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and HIV/AIDS Surveillance Report are available
  • Data and Statistics allows users access to CDC reports, statistical data, and databases
  • CDC Wonder, a search and retrieval system that provides a single point of access to a wide variety of CDC reports, guidelines, and numeric public health data, is especially helpful to the users
  • Over 40 numeric and text databases are available.
    
• CHID Online: The Combined Health Information Database
  CHID is a searchable database produced by health-related agencies of the U.S. federal government that provides titles, abstracts, and availability information for health information and health education resources.
  
• Environfacts
  http://www.epa.gov/enviro/
  This site is a single point of access to select U.S. EPA environmental data including air, water, toxic release and waste. Information is available by state, county, community and zip code. Mapping is also available.
  
• FdStats
  http://www.fedstats.gov
  A gateway to statistical information produced by over 70 federal agencies. Has an A-Z topics section and a search engine to extract reports and data sites.
  
• Healthfinder
  Healthfinder is the major web source for consumer health information. A gateway consumer health information web service of the U.S. federal government, Healthfinder connects you to health information from the federal, state and local governments and agencies.
  
• MEDLINE (PubMed)
  MEDLINE is offered through PubMed and Internet Grateful Med. MEDLINE is the National Library of Medicine's bibliographic database and contains more than 9 million references to articles published in 3800 biomedical journals.
  
• MEDLINEplus
  MEDLINEplus is a comprehensive website sponsored by the National Library of Medicine that provides links to dictionaries, databases, full text publications, hospitals, doctors and other healthcare organizations. Selections are made on the basis of quality, accuracy and sponsorship.
  
• Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) Series
  http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/
  
• National Health Information Center (NHIC)
  National Health Information Center is a health information referral service. NHIC puts health professionals and consumers who have health questions in touch with those organizations that are best able to provide answers. This site contains a database of over 1,100 entrees for government and organizations.
  
• National Library of Medicine
  LOCATORplus This catalog of the world's largest medical library includes references to books, journals and audiovisual materials. Items with electronic equivalents may be hotlinked.
  
• NARIC Instant Disability Information Center
  National Rehabilitation Information Center A database of general disability resources, such as information on Internet sites, journals, magazines, newsletters, organizations, reference publications, and disability-related databases.
  
• National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information
  National Substance Abuse Web Index This site allows users to search over 20 authoritative Web sites with information on substance abuse prevention and treatment.
  
• National Rehabilitation Information Center
  REHABDATA Literature Database REHABDATA is the leading literature database on disability and rehabilitation. The Current Literature file, dating from 1993 to the present, describes documents and articles covering physical, mental, and psychiatric disabilities. The Historical Literature file covers the same topics from 1956 to 1992.
  
• Vital Statistics of the United States
  http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/pubs/pubd/vsus/vsus.htm
  Contains detailed vital statistics data, including natality, mortality, marriage, and divorce from advanced data of the Vital Statistics of the United States.
  

• Kaiser Family Foundation’s State Health Facts Online
  http://www.statehealthfacts.kff.org/cgi-bin/healthfacts.cgi?
  Contains the latest state-level data on demographics, health, and health policy and includes information on health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation.
  
• Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH)
  http://www.idph.state.il.us/health/statshome.htm
  Provides access to a wide range of vital and other health related statistics for Illinois.
  
• Illinois Project for Local Assessment of Needs
  http://app.idph.state.il.us/index.htm
  A searchable database that contains more than 100 health-related indicators at the state, county, and community levels.
  
• MICA (Missouri Information for Community Assessment)
  http://www.dhss.state.mo.us/GLRequest/Data.html
  Contains a variety of statistical data including vital statistics for Missouri as well as community health assessment data for Missouri counties.

• Social Indicators Database - United Way of Greater St. Louis
  http://www.stl.unitedway.org/
  A comprehensive database of social indicators for the St. Louis region. Contains indicators relating to Civic Involvement; Demographics; Economics; Education; Environment; Family, Children, & Youth; Health; Public Safety; and Social Programs. Multiple years are provided for each indicator along with data notes, sources and links. The geographic scope of the database encompasses the Missouri counties of Franklin, Jefferson, Lincoln, St. Charles, St. Louis, Warren, the City of St. Louis and the Illinois counties of Clinton, Jersey, Madison, Monroe, Randolph, and St. Clair.

If you have questions or comments about this research guide, please contact either Nursing Librarian Kathy Behm at kbehm@siue.edu, or Documents/Map Librarian, Gary N. Denue ( gdenue@siue.edu or 618-650-2632)