Please contact Jennifer Laherty if you need further research assistance with this subject.

Health Legislation: HSC 3350

• Bill Information
• Epidemiological Studies
• Policy Research Studies
• Advocacy Studies
• Meta-analyses
• Searching the Internet
• Reference materials in the CSUEB Library

California Bills via the Web

Go to: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/bilinfo.html
From this site you can search for California bills back to the 1993-94 session.

With this site you can find a bill (Assembly or Senate), and its history, status and policy committee analysis.

If you know the Bill #, you can search on the number.
-OR-
You can search for bills on a topic

To do this:
1. Click in the box Author(s) and/or Keyword(s)
2. Type in your search term(s) like tobacco or breast cancer or needle exchange, etc.
3. Look for bills that are appropriate and click on one that you find
4. Print out the Status, the History, the Bill itself, and the Committee Analysis

California Legislative Information System web site: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/
You'll find everything you need to know about the California Legislature here.

Locate your local representatives to the State Assembly or Senate: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/yourleg.html
Search by your zip code.

Epidemiological Studies (need 2 abstracts with citations)

Etiology and epidemiology studies related to the topic area. Descriptive and analytical information such as theories of cause and transmission, risk factors, morbidity, mortality, incidence, prevalence, geographic areas affected, vulnerable and at-risk populations, etc.

Best Databases

• CINAHL :nursing & allied health literature
• Medline : medical literature

Searching Tips:

• The * is the truncation symbol for all 3 of these databases

Example of Epidemiology Study:

Epidemiology of Alzheimer's presenile dementia in Scotland, 1974-88. Gerard McGonigal, Brenda Thomas, Cecilia McQuade, John M. Starr, William J. MacLennan, Lawrence J. Whalley. British Medical Journal March 13, 1993 v306 n6879 p680(4)

Abstract: Women may have a higher risk of developing Alzheimer's presenile dementia

than men. Alzheimer's disease is a disorder characterized by progressive degeneration of the brain. A study examined the hospital records of patients under 73 years old admitted to a psychiatric hospital for treatment of dementia between 1974 and 1988. Among 1,217 patients between 40 and 64 years old, 252 had possible Alzheimer's disease, 317 had probable Alzheimer's disease and 267 had multi-infarct dementia. The incidence of probable Alzheimer's disease was almost twice as high among women as among men. The incidence of multi-infarct dementia was significantly higher in men than in women. The factors that may predispose women to presenile Alzheimer's disease are not known.

Policy Research Studies (need 2 abstracts with citations)

Descriptive, analytical, evaluative, or comparative studies of relevant public policy in other states or countries.

Best Databases

• PAIS : Public Affairs Information Services
• Lexis Nexis : go to Legal Research; choose Law Reviews; search for your topic. Be sure to change the date range or else it will only search the last 6 months.

Searching Tips:

• The * is the truncation symbol for Expanded Academic ASAP
• The + is the truncation symbol for PAIS. Note: this database will only find plurals and not multiple forms of a word when you use the +.
• The ! is the truncation symbol for Lexis Nexis

Example of Policy Research Study:

The Colorado tobacco-free schools and communities project. Diane DiGiacomo Peck, Connie Acott, Patricia Richard, Susan Hill, Cathy Schuster. Journal of School Health May 1993 v63 n5 p214(4).

Author's Abstract:

This article defends the appropriateness of tobacco-free school policies as an effective tool toward ensuring young people develop into healthy and intellectually strong adults, and demonstrates how such a policy can be introduced into a school district. Health education efforts to eliminate tobacco use are widely considered more effective when carried out in concert with school policies and adult role models offering the consistent message that tobacco use is unhealthy and unacceptable. Studies indicate students who attend schools with strict smoking policies are less likely to begin smoking than students who attend schools without such policies. Through research, support, and guidance, the Colorado Tobacco-Free Schools and Communities Project successfully has assisted almost half the 176 school districts in Colorado to adopt such policies.

Advocacy Studies (need 2 abstracts with citations)

Published arguments either for or against the program or the policy.

Best Databases

• PAIS : Public Affairs Information Services
• Lexis Nexis

Searching Tips:

• see above

Example of Advocacy Study:

Heading up the American dream of health. (interview with US Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher) David H. Frankel, Julie Rovner. The Lancet Sept 19, 1998 v352 n9132 p978(1) Mag.Coll.: 95M4169.

Abstract: US Surgeon General Dr. David A. Satcher is committed to letting science, rather than politics, take the lead in health advocacy during his tenure as the nation's top doctor. After a difficult 5-month congressional confirmation battle, Satcher assumed the top post in the Public Health Service. He is convinced that needle-exchange programs can reduce the spread of HIV infection without promoting drug use, and favors an active US role in international epidemics, which ultimately threaten Americans. Reducing unnecessary antibiotic use can decrease microbial resistance to drugs.

Meta-Analyses or Review Articles (need 2 abstracts with citations)

Synthesizing the "state of the art" of policy research in the subject area and summarizing the degree of consensus on an issue.

Best Databases

• PAIS : Public Affairs Information Services
• Lexis Nexis
• Also search the Internet

  Note: You may need to try a variety of databases to find meta-analyses.

Searching Tips:

• see above

Example of Meta-analysis:

TI: A Critical Review of Strategies to Reduce School Violence
AU: Alexander,-Rudolph,-Jr.; Curtis,-Carla-M.
SO: Social-Work-in-Education; 1995, 17, 2, Apr, 73-82..

AB: Reviews the social sciences literature & reports on interventions used by professionals & policymakers to reduce school violence. Recommendations consistent with social work principles are made for social workers concerned with school violence. 55 References.

Using the Internet

You can also search the Internet using a variety of search engines like:

• http://www.askjeeves.com
• http://www.infoseek.com
• http://www.altavista.com
• other search engines

Reference Materials (need 2 citations)

These are reference materials that should be useful and you can locate them in the CSUEB Library at the call #s listed below: The links are only to the citations. This will make is easier for you to compile your bibliography. You still need to look at the books.

• Contemporary World Issues (once you get to this page, click on the title link and browse the different subjects.)
• Encyclopedia of U.S. Biomedical Policy (REF RA395.A3 E545 1996)
• Global Health Statistics (REF RA407 .M87 1996)
• Health Data Summaries for California Counties (REF RA407.4 .C2 H43)
• Healthy People 2000 Review (REF RA407.3 .U57c 1993)
• National Health Systems of the World (REF RA393 .R593 1991 v.1-2)
• U.S. Health Policy Groups : Institutional Profiles (REF RA395.A3 U23 1995)

Browse the Reference shelves around these books for other potentially useful resources.

Typical Reference materials include bibliographies, encyclopedias, almanacs, handbooks, and statistical reports. (Remember, Reference Materials are those found in the Reference Room of the CSUEB Library.)

Note: You will not find abstracts for reference books. You need to give a citation only for each reference book you use in your written report.