Health education is focus of Web sites
Health education is focus of Web sites
Contraceptive Technology Update readers need information at their fingertips when providing patient education. Here are five good sites for some quick answers, with thanks to suggestions from Sherry Carter, MS, WHCNP, faculty associate and director of the women’s health nurse practitioner program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, and Lisa Koonin, MN, MPH, chief of the surveillance unit, statistics, and computer resources branch in the Division of Reproductive Health in the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
1. CDC’s Reproductive Health Site: www.cdc. gov/nccdphp/drh/. Because reproductive health issues are a focus of many CDC projects, this site features information from various programs, not just the Division of Reproductive Health and the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. It carries information on unintended pregnancy, assisted reproductive technology, maternal health, men’s and women’s reproductive health, infant health, surveillance, research, and links to other sites.
2. HIV InSite: hivinsite.ucsf.edu. A comprehensive source of information on HIV/AIDS, HIV InSite is a project of the University of California at San Francisco’s (UCSF) Positive Health Program at San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center and the UCSF Center for AIDS Prevention Studies, programs of the UCSF AIDS Research Institute. Its medical information section carries patient fact sheets from a variety of sources; the site will post a cross-indexed guide to available patient fact sheets within the next few months. Other areas of interest include research, treatment guidelines, and current statistics on the epidemic.
3. National Women’s Health Information Center: www.4woman.gov. The National Women’s Health Information Center is a free service on women’s health issues designed to reach a broad audience, including consumers, health care professionals, researchers, and educators. A service of the Washington, DC-based Office on Women’s Health in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Web site provides a gateway to a wide array of federal and other women’s health information resources. Site visitors can link to, read, and download material developed by HHS, other federal agencies, and private sector resources.
4. Healthtouch Online: www.healthtouch. com. A resource developed by Medical Strategies in Dublin, OH, Healthtouch Online offers information from national health organizations, including the CDC’s Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, on a comprehensive list of health conditions. The site carries a disclaimer that information may be downloaded and/or reprinted for personal use only.
5. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s The Year 2000 National Health Observances Web page. nhic-nt.health.org/Pubs/ 2000healthobserv/nho.htm. When is the Great American Smokeout? How about National Osteoporosis Prevention Month? This calendar from the Washington, DC-based Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion can help plan sponsorship of health promotion events, stimulate awareness of health risks, or focus on disease prevention. The site lists events by month, with names, contact information, e-mail addresses, and Web sites (if available), and denotes availability of educational materials.
The February 2000 CTU (p. 25) listed a number of Web sites that carry responsible reproductive health information for teens. Take a look at the following site, suggested by Susan Wilson, executive coordinator of the Network for Family Life Education, a component of Rutgers University School of Social Work in Piscataway, NJ:
6. The Network for Family Life Education Sex, Etc. newsletter: www.sxetc.org. The Network for Family Life Education established this sexuality and health newsletter "written by teens for teens" in 1994, with the help of two health educators and a professional journalist. Each year, the network recruits a new editorial board of high school students from New Jersey, New York, and Philadelphia. The editors develop story ideas and inter- view teens and adults for story information. A professional journalist helps teens turn interviews into stories; national correspondents from around the country also contribute stories. The Web site features an "Ask the Experts" section and offers information for adults to help them discuss sexual health issues with teens.
Subscribe Now for Access
You have reached your article limit for the month. We hope you found our articles both enjoyable and insightful. For information on new subscriptions, product trials, alternative billing arrangements or group and site discounts please call 800-688-2421. We look forward to having you as a long-term member of the Relias Media community.