Step 1.1: Write a problem statement.

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Websites

American Heart Association Health statistical information provided by the American Heart Association, including reports such as the annual Heart and Stroke Update reports that also contain information about the economic burden of cardiovascular disease. http://www.americanheart.org/statistics/ *
An Ounce of Prevention . . . What Are the Returns? The Epidemiology Program Office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention produced this report, which outlines 19 prevention strategies that demonstrate disease prevention at a reasonable cost. http://www.cdc.gov/epo
Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is the state-based surveillance system of the CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (NCCDPHP). Active in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and three territories, it is the primary source of state-based information about risk behaviors among adult populations.

The BRFSS is designed to gather information from adults about their knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to various health issues:

  • Health status and access to care
  • Tobacco and alcohol use
  • Dietary patterns
  • Hypertension and cholesterol
  • Leisure time physical activities
  • Injury control
  • Women's health issues
  • Use of preventive services
  • HIV and AIDS
  • Models on cardiovascular disease and heart attack and stroke awareness are also collected by various states

Information about the BRFSS may be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/.

Beyond the Stoop: Community Programs to Promote Youth The Institute of Medicine, of the National Academies, developed this document to address public policy for youth community programs. More information about this document can be found at the Institute of Medicine's web site or by looking at the publications listed at the National Academies Press site.

CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention CDC's Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention (HDSP) is located in the Division of Adult and Community Health of the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. HDSP activities include epidemiologic surveillance and research, intervention studies, and public health programs related to cardiovascular health. The CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention may be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/.

E-mail: cdcinfo@cdc.gov

Statistical information from the CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/library/maps/cvdatlas/atlas_womens/

CDC Wonder CDC Wonder is and easy-to-use system that provides a single point of access to a wide variety of CDC reports, guidelines, and numeric public health data. CDC wonder may be accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Statistical information from the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/library/maps/cvdatlas/atlas_womens/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Main Site The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is composed of more than 11 Centers, Institutes, and Offices dedicated to promoting health and quality of life by preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability through scientific inquiry. This site includes an A-Z guide with links to specific health topics. You can access the CDC website at http://www.cdc.gov.

The Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Medicine at the University of California-San Francisco This website provides a world wide web virtual library about epidemiology. It provides information from governmental agencies, data sources, and various resources for epidemiology, including cardiovascular epidemiology. http://www.epibiostat.ucsf.edu/index.html *
Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) The Department of Health and Human Services is the Unites States Government's principal agency for protecting the healthy of all Americans and providing essential human services, especially for those who are least able to help themselves. You may access the Department of Health and Human Services at: http://www.os.dhhs.gov/.
Healthy People 2010 Healthy People 2010 is a national health promotion and disease prevention initiative that brings together national, state, and local government agencies; non-profit, voluntary, and professional organizations; businesses; communities; and individuals to improve the health of all Americans, eliminate disparities in health, and improve years and quality of healthy life. Healthy People 2010 may be accessed at http://www.health.gov/healthypeople.

Health Resources and Services Administration HRSA provides information for improving community health. You can access HRSA data at http://www.ask.hrsa.gov.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) is CDC's weekly forum that publishes articles on health topics and events and also disseminates state-reported surveillance data on new cases of reportable diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis, CVD and related chronic conditions, flu, etc. You can access the MMWR at http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/.

National Center for Health Statistics The CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) makes available statistical information for a wide range of health problems. Through the NCHS web site, you can view and print out many published and unpublished reports. The NCHS web page also links to other web sites of federal and non-federal agencies that publish health data.

National Center for Health Statistics
3700 East-West Highway
Hyattsville, MD 20782
(301) 436-8500
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/

Also located in the NCHS site is the Trends in Health and Aging Data Warehouse which may be accessed at: Trends in Health and Aging Data Warehouse http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/agingact.htm.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Morbidity and mortality statistics from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/index.htm

The National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health conducts research to acquire knowledge of prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases and disability. The NIH is composed of 18 Institutes, six centers, and the National Library of Medicine. You can contact the NLH at http://www.nih.gov and the National Library of medicine at http://www.nlm.nih.gov.

NHANES The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), part of the CDC. This survey has been designed to collect information about the health and diet of people in the United States. NHANES is unique in that it combines a home interview with health tests which are done in a Mobile Exam Center. Information about NHANES may be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhanes.htm.

Office of Minority Health The Office of Minority Health (OMH) was created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in 1985. The mission of OMH is to improve the health of racial and ethnic populations through the development of effective health policies and programs that help to eliminate disparities in health. The main site of the OMH may be accessed at http://www.omhrc.gov.

Also included in this site are links to State Offices of Minority Health, the Office of Minority Health Resources Center, and various other links.
School Health Index for Physical Activity and Healthy Eating: A Self-Assessment and Planning Guide This guide, produced by the Division of Adolescent and School Health at the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control and other partners, can help schools assess their physical activity and nutrition policies and programs based on national standards and guidelines and as part of a school's School Improvement Plan. This guide, available for elementary schools or middle and high schools, can be accessed and downloaded from the world wide web. http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/

Women and Heart Disease: An Atlas of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mortality Women and Heart Disease: An Atlas of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mortality was developed by the Office for Social Environment and Health Research at West Virginia University and the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at CDC to provide critical data on geographic, racial, and ethnic inequalities in women's heart disease death rates for the five major racial and ethnic groups. Local, state, and national level data are included with information to tailor heart-healthy programs and policies to the communities of women with the greatest burden of heart disease. You may access Women and Heart Disease: An Atlas of Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Mortality at: http://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/library/maps/cvdatlas/atlas_womens/.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) is a national, school-based survey conducted by CDC and state and local education agencies. The YRBSS provides vital information on risk behaviors among young people to more effectively target and improve health programs. One component of this system is the Youth Risk Behavior System (YRBS). Information about the YRBS may be accessed at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/yrbs/index.htm.

jump over navigation bar[Websites] [Other Websites] [OnLine Journals] [Documents] [References]

Other Website Resources

American College of Cardiology http://www.acc.org *

Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum http://www.apiahf.org *

Association of Black Cardiologists (Note: This web site is best viewed in I.E.) http://www.abcardio.org *

California Heart Disease & Stroke Prevention Program http://www.dhs.ca.gov/ps/cdic/chdsp/

Cardiovision 2020 http://www.cardiovision2020.org *

Cross Cultural Health Care Program http://www.xculture.org *

Heart Failure Awareness Campaign http://www.abouthf.org *

Heart Failure Society of America http://www.hfsa.org *

Heart at Work Online Program http://www.americanheart.org/haw *
International Society for Hypertension in Blacks (ISHIB) http://www.ishib.org *

International Task Force for Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease http://www.chd-taskforce.de *

Kids Walk to School http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/kidswalk/
National Alliance of Hispanic Health http://www.hispanichealth.org/ *

National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease http://www.womenheart.org *

Shape Up America http://shapeup.org *

USPHS Indian Health Service/Office of Public Health and/or Office of Communications http://www.ihs.gov

jump over navigation bar[Websites] [Other Websites] [OnLine Journals] [Documents] [References]

Online Journals

American Journal of Cardiology http://www.elsevier.com/inca/publications/store/5/2/5/0/4/8

American Journal of Epidemiology http://aje.oupjournals.org *

American Journal of Hypertension http://www.elsevier.com/inca/publications/store/5/0/5/7/4/2/index.htt

Medline Medline is the major index to articles from more than 4,600 biomedical journals from 1966 to present. Access Medline at http://www.pubmed.gov/.

Documents
Audience Segmentation Information This presentation, produced by the Office of Communication at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contains helpful information about the process of audience segmentation. CV-Audsegslides.pdf (PDF 9,839K)
Heart Check: Assessing Worksite Support for a Healthy Lifestyle This questionnaire, from the Healthy Heart Program of the New York State Department of Health, can be used and/or adapted to gather information about the environmental strategies and policies in worksites that are supportive of cardiovascular health. CV-NY.heartcheck3.19.2001.pdf (PDF 2,318K)
Heart Disease and Stroke Problem Heart Disease and Stroke Problem.pdf (PDF 72K)
Public Health Problems Public Health Problems.pdf (PDF 182K)

References

Bartholomew, L.K., Parcel, G.S., Kok, G., & Gottlieb, N.H. (2000). Intervention Mapping: Designing theory- and evidence-based health promotion programs. Mountain View, California: Mayfield Publishing Company.

*Links to non–Federal organizations are provided solely as a service to our users. Links do not constitute an endorsement of any organization by CDC or the Federal Government, and none should be inferred. The CDC is not responsible for the content of the individual organization Web pages found at this link.