Public health nutrition

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Public health
Research
School nutrition

PUBLIC HEALTH

Public health:
Lists of organisations and resources
Government, university, institutes
Other organisations
Journals
National reports and manifestos
Other material

Nutritional epidemiology
Food security
Nutritional epidemiology
Nutrition surveys
Other nutrition epidemiology

See also: Nutrition Research

Nutrition surveys

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
From CDC, a good starting point for data and information about the various iterations of NHANES.

Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES), 1982-1984
A great deal of information on this project is available from this web site, including public use data files, and reports and other documents.
Australian national dietary surveys
This particular document compares the results of three such national surveys (1983, 1985 and 1995). The data itself is held in various places, with the oldest survey data now being in repository, whilst a summary of the most recent one is available from the Australian Bureau of Statistics

Other nutrition epidemiology

Pick of the crop

The Sixth World Food Survey: FAO
FAO report which discusses the availability, regional distribution and composition of the world food supply, and the trends in the nutritional situation of developing countries.
The State of the World's Children
From UNICEF, this important annual report is available in plain text or Acrobat versions. it has a special focus on nutrition and malnutrition and has many inter-country comparisons.

African Population Database
Documentation of the basis of an African population data base and access to ftp download of the data itself.
Australian food and Nutrition reports
From the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, a variety of reports are available on public health aspects of nutrition in Australia, including food intake, health status etc.

Most have to be ordered and paid for, but there are some reports that can be obtained without charge on-line, e.g.:
  • Australia's Food and Nutrition: which"describes the food and nutrition system in Australia and measures of food supply..examines food in the retail sector, food and nutrient intakes of Australians, and data on breastfeeding and the growth of infants and children. Financial, social and physical factors associated with different food behaviours and nutritional status in groups within Australia and nutrition and monitoring surveillance are also considered."
  • Australia's Health: 1998 report on Australia's health indices, with a section on nutritiion. Plenty of illustrations. Good stuff! The material provides lots of useful information about the public health aspects of nutrition in Australia, with plenty of illustrations, and the information on Australian nutrition indices is not atypical of many other Western countries.
Australian Food and Nutrition Data
Very good list of data with links. This list is from the Australian Food and Nutrition Monitoring Unit.

"Victoria's Health" : report from Victoria, Australia
Report from the Public Health Division of the Victorian health department on health statistics in this state from 1995. Includes nutrition issues at: http://hna.ffh.vic.gov.au/phb/hce/hs/hsih4/hsih4.html . See also the Victorian government's specific food and nutrition policy.

The Health of Young Victorians
From the Public Health and Development Division, Department of Human Services, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, this report is available in Acrobat format, and includes information on nutrition issues.
Carolina Population Center
Specialising in large scale nutrition surveys, this North Carolina group have organised the Russia, China and Cebu (Phillipines) population dietary studies, and have provided detailed methodology information and access to raw results and lists of published papers on-line.
Center for International Health Information
Provides technical data for USAID under contract. Web site has publications, reports etc.
The China-Cornell-Oxford Project
Simple overview of the methodology and results (in briefest summary) of this highly significant nutritional epidemiological study in to diet and health in China. The material is presented by a company that sells a multi-media CD-ROM on this study.
Cornell Mann library: data sets
Download files from this site containing various food consumption, food expenditure and other public health nutrition data for the USA and in some cases international data sets.

Eat for Life: The Food and Nutrition Board's Guide to Reducing Your Risk of Chronic Disease

On-line version of the 1992 report of the FNB into nutritional factors in chronic disease.
EPIC study of nutrition and health
European Prospective Investigation of Cancer and Nutrition multi-centre trial is briefly described in this undated press release from the Imperial Cancer Research Fund Epidemiology Unit in the UK.
Growth Standards of Southern Chinese
Report by Dr. Sophie Leung, from the Dpt. Paediatrics at Chinese University of Hong Kong, this web site provides colourful pages of information on the Hong Kong growth survey of 1993, the techniques that produced proper growth charts for Hong Kong, and on food and nutrition issues that came up in the survey.
Harvard Report on Cancer Prevention: Dietary Factors
Plain text report from Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention. "The Report, written by Harvard-affiliated researchers and reviewed by other highly regarded investigators across the US, is intended to serve as a resource on cancer prevention for the scientific and medical communities, policy makers, news media, and general public."
The Healthy Eating Index: USDA
From USDA, an index of food consumption linked to healthy eating recommendations. This web site has information on the index and data on its implementation in the US context. "By introducing the Healthy Eating Index, the USDA is providing an important new tool for meeting our nutritional goals. It makes available for the first time a single summary measure to monitor changes in food consumption patterns.The Healthy Eating Index measures how well the diets of all Americans conform to the recommendations of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Food Guide Pyramid. It will serve as a report card on the American diet, allowing researchers to analyze how Americans eat, and aid USDA in developing more effective nutrition promotion messages for all our programs and for the general public."
Lecture on Live to 100
Lecture given by Professor Richard Head, Chief, CSIRO Division of Human Nutrition (Australia), on nutritional factors in longevity, such as antioxidants etc. Accompanied by several slides.
Malaysian Institute of Medical Research: Human Nutrition Division
A long, detailed and informative page with results of many of their studies and projects on nutritoinal epidemiological flavour. For example, vitamin- A and iron status.

Nutrition Monitoring in the US: directory
Download Acrobat (.pdf) version of the publication "Nutrition Monitoring in the United States: The Directory of Federal and State Nutrition Monitoring and Related Research Activities" from the National Center for Health Statistics.
Nutrition Issues in Developing Countries
Report from Subcommittee on Nutrition and Diarrheal Diseases Control of the Institute of Medicine, in two parts: Part I: Diarrheal Diseases, Part II: Diet and Activity During Pregnancy and Lactation.
NYU Women's Health Study
From NYU School of Medicine Department of Environmental Medicine, reports on ongoing progress of study which involves, inter alia, research into diet and breast cancer. "NYU Women's Health Study is a prospective cohort study that began in 1985 with the collaboration of the Guttman Institute. Since 1985, the Study has enrolled over 15,000 women -- 14,275 in the New York City metropolitan area, and 1,507 in Florida -- in its quest to identify the role of endogenous hormones, diet, and other environmental exposures in the etiology of the most common cancers in women, especially breast cancer."
The Nation's Diet (UK)
Details about a major research Programme on the social science of food choice, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council over 8 years beginning in 1992. Information on the research projects and publications. There are short descriptions of not only aims and methods but also results of many of the completed studies. Research topics include:
    Phase 1
  • Concepts of 'healthy eating: a comparative anthropological investigation
  • Dietary change among South Asians and Italians in Glasgow
  • Teaching and learning about food and nutrition in schools
  • The effect on the family of one member's change in diet
  • The effects of life stress on food choice
  • The psychological determinants of children's food preferences
  • The role of the media in emergence of food panics
  • What we eat and why: a socio-economic study of standard items in food consumption
    Phase 2
  • Ambivalence about health-related dietary change
  • Concepts of 'healthy' eating: a comparative anthropological investigation, phase 2
  • Constructing the consumer interest: retailing, regulation and food quality
  • Consumption. diet and ageing: the construction of food choice in later life
  • Eating out and eating in: households and food choice
  • Food choices made by mothers on behalf of babies and young children
  • The decision not to eat meat: an analysis of changing preferences
  • The marriage menu: food and diet in transition after marriage

Nutrition Surveys and Surveillance Activities in Russia and the Newly Independent States
National Academy of Sciences report from 1994. Another related publication from 1986 is Nutrition Issues in Developing Countries for the 1980s and 1990s
Food Processing Statistics for the Former USSR
Report held in the Cornell Mann library.
SEAMEO TROPMED: training courses
Lists public health nutrition training courses available through this network, mostly offered through thje Indonesian division.
The Practitioner's Guide to Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Nutrition Interventions
Acrobat (.pdf) format document from National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health. It "presents a tool for learning about cost-effectiveness analysis and developing skills in planning and carrying out evaluations that assess the cost-effectiveness of competing alternatives in nutrition-related activities. The author presents general information about cost-effectiveness, a step-by-step model, and examples of cost-effectiveness analysis applied in the field of nutrition. It was prepared for and with the assistance of members of the Maternal and Child Health Interorganizational Nutrition Group, which is a partnership of national professional and voluntary organizations and federal agencies."
"Should a Low-Fat, High-Carbohydrate Diet Be Recommended for Everyone?"
From the Clinical Debate section of NEJM (1997; 337: 562-563) this is a lively discussion between two groups of experts on this currently live issue. The material is well presented, with tables, and hyperlinks to reference citations, some of which are in turn linked to the original article abstracts, courtesy of NLM's Medline service. Interesting reading.
Ukraine: Health and Nutrition report
Part of a broader 1996 report on the habitat and environment in the Ukraine. The report is colourful with lots of nice graphs, but unfortunately many of the curves on the graphs point down.
UN report: Social and health indicators
Life expectancy, infant and child mortality, and other general social health indicators on a world-wide basis.
US dietary guidelines: report of the Advisory Committee
Full hypertext report with graphics available.
USAID Famine Early Warning System
This is an information system designed to help decision makers prevent famine in Sub-Saharan Africa. Their web site has information, bulletins, special reports, satellite pictures and other resources.
National Cancer Institute dietary survey: validity references
Berkeley Nutrition Services uses a questionnaire to assess dietary intake as part of their commercial service. Here they have placed a bibliography of articles which discuss or research the validity of this NCI questionnaire, which is itself a useful resource for those interested in dietary assessment methodology.
 
Statistical Abstract of the United States: Health
Annual updates on health statistics of the United States, including nutritional stats such as food consumption and levels of overweight.

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Public health journals

American Journal of Public Health
TOC and abstracts for last few issues.
Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
Table of contents and abstracts of current and previous issues.
Environmental Health Information Service
On-line journal and information site with plenty of nutrition relevance, including information on toxins and carcinogenic substances in food.
Epidemiology
Abstracts of articles from this and last year.
European Journal of Epidemiology
Search and TOC from 1996.
European Journal of Public Health.
TOC for recent issues.
Health Promotion Journal of Australia
Abstracts but not search engine.
The Milbank Quarterly
Premier journal for health services research and public health policy. Has search engine and abstracts on-line.
Preventive Medicine
Table of contents and abstracts available from Science@Direct.

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Public health national reports and manifestos

See also Food security reports
Pick of the crop

UN report: Social and health indicators
Life expectancy, infant and child mortality, and other general social health indicators on a world-wide basis.
The Progress of Nations reports: UNICEF reports
Ranks natiions according to various health paramters, including a section based on nutrition and malnutrition indicators. There is also a 1995 report and a more general set of country health statistics for developing countries.

Australia: The Victorian government Food and Nutrition Policy 1995
On-line statement of government policy as enunciated by the Food and Water Unit of the Department of Human Services of the state government of Victoria.
Bureau of Primary Health Care: health statistics for USA states
Demographic, poverty, primary care physician and other professional health provider ratios are all available for national and state-by-state populations from this clickable map.
Canada: National Plan of Action for Nutrition
Started in 1993, the Plan is a government initiated project to develop a national approach to better nutrition. The web site has the full plain text report on-line. As well as stating what they want to do to improve nutrition, there is some information on what has is happening now and on nutrition surveys that are currently conducted. The web site features:
  • Nutrition for Health: An Agenda for Action
  • Backgrounder to the National Plan of Action for Nutrition
  • Environmental Scan
  • Summary of Regional Think Tanks
  • Nutrition in Action Survey
  • Food Quality and Safety Programs in Canada
  • Prevention and Management of Infectious Diseases
  • Preventing and Controlling Specific Micronutrient Deficiencies
  • Nutrition Status Assessment, Analysis and Monitoring
  • Country Paper Canada Supplement
Cochrane reviews
The Cochrane Collaboration is a multi-centred project to subject medical practice to critical appraisal, and to summarise the evidence on clinical practice as based on randomised controlled trials as the gold standard. Sadly access now appears now to a subscription-only affair, available from this web site and others

Nutritional topics include:

  • Protein restriction in diabetic renal disease
  • Vitamin D in fracture prevention
  • Minimal enteral nutrition in neonates
  • High protein supplementation in pregnancy
  • Nutrients for impaired fetal growth
  • Balanced protein/energy supplementation
  • Dietary regulation for 'gestational diabetes'
  • Vitamin D supplementation in pregnancy
  • Zinc supplementation in pregnancy
European Community: public health `manifesto'
Full plain text document (> 160k) of the EC communication on the framework for action in the field of public health from 1993.
Healthy People 2000: National Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Objectives (USA)
Report on progress, including a list of government and other agencies that offer resources in relation to the prioirty area of nutrition

NZ Health Dpt nutrition documents
Available as full text Acrobat format documents the NZ Department of Health's on-line publications include:

Nutrition Monitoring in the United States: Third Report (1995)
Prepared by FASEB for the Interagency Board for Nutrition Monitoring and Research, this is a full graphics and text PDF format of this major government report, which reviews the dietary and nutritional status of the US population. Because of its size and full graphics format, this is a large file (>600k).
Ukraine: Health and Nutrition report
Part of a broader 1996 report on the habitat and environment in the Ukraine. The report is colourful with lots of nice graphs, but unfortunately many of the curves on the graphs point down.
Primary care health statistics for the USA
Demographic, poverty, primary care physician and other professional health provider ratios are all available for national and state-by-state populations from this clickable map. Information provided by the Bureau of Primary Health Care , which is part of the Health Resources and Services Administration

Trends in the Well-Being of America's Children and Youth
DHSS report (in PDF format) with whole range of statistical data about children and teenagers, including tables on prevalence of overweight disorders.
WHO nutrition research
Summary of research conducted within the WHO Nutrition for Health and Development program.

AMA Adolescent Health On-Line
General resource on the subject of adolescent health, which includes news on health statistics reports, and some links to nutrition related sites.

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This is a collection of nutrition links about public health nutrition, nutrition research, food security, nutrition research organisations and research institutes, public health nutrition organisations, international organisations, epidemiology of nutrition, research papers and research literature. This is a collection of nutrition links about public health nutrition, nutrition research, food security, nutrition research organisations and research institutes, public health nutrition organisations, international organisations, epidemiology of nutrition, research papers and research literature. This is a collection of nutrition links about public health nutrition, nutrition research, food security, nutrition research organisations and research institutes, public health nutrition organisations, international organisations, epidemiology of nutrition, research papers and research literature.