Evidence-Based Public Health Resource Review:
Health-Evidence.Ca
Online Registry of Systematic Reviews on the
Effectiveness of Public Health and Health Promotion Interventions
Health-Evidence.Ca, http://health-evidence.ca, is a searchable online registry of systematic reviews on the effectiveness of public health and health promotion interventions from 1985 to the present. The goal of the online registry is provide research evidence to facilitate the adoption and implementation of effective public health policies, programs, and interventions. It is targeted towards local and regional public health decision makers in Canada, but also has much relevance to public health practitioners and health information professionals in the United States.
Searching
A very nice feature of the site is that the all reviews are searchable by commonly-used public health and
health promotion terms and categories, so that the registry can searched by focus of review, population, intervention location, and intervention
strategy. A user can browse by health topic, such as child health, environmental health, or nutrition. The search tool allows users to
narrow their search within each health topic. For example, to find evidence for school-based interventions to reduce childhood obesity,
click on Search, type in "obesity," and select "Child Health" under Focus of Review and "School" under Intervention Location.
Search Results
The results provide a citation, abstract, methodological quality rating (strong, moderate, or weak), and a link to the full-text review if it is available from an open source. This search resulted in 21 systematic reviews. Full-text Cochrane Reviews are accessible to those who have a subscription through OVID. Many reviews are accompanied by a summary statement that outlines the review content, methods, findings and implications for policy and practice.
Saved Searches
Another feature of Health-Evidence.ca is an optional registration to set up a user profile. This allows you to select areas of interest, save searches, and bookmark reviews to find later.
My Profile – Bookmarks, Saved Searched and Preferences
Health-Evidence.ca is one of several sources of public health systematic reviews available from the Evidence-Based Practice for Public Health website at http://library.umassmed.edu/ebpph/syst_reviews.cfm.
Hathy Simpson, Public Health Coordinator
NN/LM, New England Region
Hathy.Simpson@umassmed.edu
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