Chapter 9: The Literature of Health Education/Promotion

Abstracts

A brief description of the study's results, and describes the research questions that were tested, outlines the study design, and lists 1 or 2 major findings from the study, meant to communicate essential information so that the readers will know whether the study has info related to the topic they're interested in, includes short summaries

Browser

Used to access information on the web, such as Google, safari, Mozilla Firefox, and internet explorer

Electronic databases

Often provide a preferred alternative to manually searching indexes or abstracts, each database has a general subject area (medicine, education, psychology), this provides access via internet, significantly faster than manual searches

Information Overload or Information Burnout

The amount of information about any given topic is growing at an exponential rate, this creates more of a need of health education specialists

Government documents

Range from official documents including laws, court decisions, and records of congressional actions to the results of government-sponsored technical and scientific studies. They are organized and shelved according to Superintendent of Document numbers. They contain a storehouse of valuable and current information and should not be overlooked.

Indexes

Provide links to articles from many referred or peer-reviewed journals, books, and research reports it referenes articles from journals, books, and reports pertaining to topics that fall under the subject headings for which the index was created (health behavior, physical activity, methamphetamine treatment)

Hypertext Transfer Protocol (http://)

Use of the browser involves entering a Web address which starts with http://

Internet ("open access" journals)

A linked global system of computer networks that are connected together through a variety of wireless and other electronic technologies. Some refereed/peer-reviewed journals are not published only in electric format, have articles that come in a variety of reader access levels. Some articles are immediately available to individual subscribers or subscribing institutions; others allow delayed access to articles for anyone with an Internet connection; and some of the publishing sites have a mixture of the 2

Peer-reviewed journal

A journal that publishes original manuscripts only after they have been read by a panel of experts in the field (referees) and recommended for publication

Popular press publications

The most difficult to check for credibility, they range from weekly summary-type magazines (examples: Time, Newsweek, U.S. News and World Report, regular articles in newspapers, and newspaper supplements, monthly magazines, and tabloids)

Refereed journal

A journal that publishes original manuscripts only after they have been read by a pen of experts in the field (referees) and recommended for publication

Search engine

A method for locating information on the internet (examples: google, yahoo, bing, ask, Aol). Advantages over typing in a URL is that the search engine allows you to type in the name of a topic and after a few seconds it identifies a lists multiple sites

Uniform Resource Locators (URLs)

Unique identifiers for a location on the global internet much as the mailing address of your home, unique to where you live. Composed of the internet access protocol, the location, and the file

Home page

Analogous to a combination of a cover and a table of contents in a book in that it names the site and directs the user to a list of information options available within the site

World Wide Web (WWW)

An interactive information delivery service that includes a repository of resources about almost any subject imaginable including health. The linked system of the internet enables the user to access information on the WWW.

Primary sources

Data or information are published studies or eyewitness accounts written by the people who actually conducted the experiments or observed the events in question (examples: autobiographies, research articles written by the researcher)

Secondary sources

Usually written by someone who was not present at the event or did not participate as part of the study team, often provide a bibliography of primary sources (examples: journal reviewed articles, editorials, and non-eyewitness accounts of events occurring in the community, region, or nation

Tertiary sources

Contain information that has been distilled and collected from primary and secondary sources (examples: handbooks, informational pamphlets or brochures from governmental organizations)

Popular press sources

At times, any of them may contain a primary source of information (as in an interview), most often, they are secondary sources at best, these also include opinions or editorials. They should be heavily scrutinized as to the source of information before being cited as authentic and accurate.

How do an article abstract and an article summary differ in content?

They are both short forms of describing a research study, the major differences lie in the extent of the content. Abstracts are short (150-250 words) and they're written to identify the purpose of the research, the study questions, the methods used by the researcher and 1 or 2 major findings. Summaries, may be 2-3 pages in length and include all of the elements of the abstract. Summaries are meant to provide a more detailed review of the researcher's conclusions and recommendations from the viewpoint of the summary's author.

What are the questions you should ask yourself when critiquing or critically reviewing a research journal article?

1. Were the goals/aims of the study defined clearly?

2. Were the research questions/hypothesis clearly stated?

3. Was the description clear?

4. Were the design and location described clearly?

5. Were the data collection instruments described?

6. Were reliability and validity reported for the instruments?

7. Did the results directly address the research questions/hypotheses?

8. Were the conclusions reasonable in light of the research design and data analyses performed?

9. Were the findings extrapolated to a population that is similar to the population studied?

10. Were the study implications meaningful to the population you serve?

What are the differences between the questions asked when evaluating a primary research article and those asked when evaluating a secondary source or popular press article?

1. Author's qualifications?

2. Style of presentation?

3. References included?

4. Purpose of the publication?

5. Reputation of the publication?

6. New information?

Most commonly used journals in the field of health education/promotion (types of information you would find in each)

AIDS Education and Prevention

American Journal of Health Behavior

American Journal of Health Promotion

American Journal of Public Health

Evaluation of Health Professions

Family and Community Health

Health Affairs

The Health Educator: The Journal of Eta Sigma Gamma

What advantage might the information from a government document have over another source on the same topic?

Government publications range from official documents including laws, court decisions, and records of congressional actions to the results of government-sponsored technical and scientific studies. Information on topics such as obesity, water treatment, or exercise can also be found in a government documents section.

How does one go about evaluating information retrieved from the Internet?

Evaluate the currency (timeliness), relevance (importance for your needs), authority (source of info), accuracy (reliability), and purpose (reason the info exists)