Behavioral and Social Sciences Research Online Interactive Textbook

The e-Source online resource for Behavioral and Social Sciences Research advances the  methodological skill set of new and established researchers on the latest  research methods, approaches and translation of behavioral and social science (BSS) research.

It  also provides an easy means by which investigators can efficiently obtain  answers to emerging methodological concerns. Specifically,  it:

1. Demonstrates the considerable  potential of  BSS research to enhance biomedical research;
2. Serves as  a resource center for the  most current and high quality BSS research  methods with references to and  examples of well designed studies in  BSS research and information on how to  easily and efficiently obtain  authoritative answers to methodological  questions;
3. Provides  information on how to  integrate BSS research into a variety of  biomedical research activities; and
4. Updates  and strengthens the impact  of BSS research by identifying consistent  and high quality standards for the  research  community.

To view this course, go to http://www.esourceresearch.org.  Recognized international experts in their fields are developing the 16  modules for this web-based learning site:

• Determining Appropriate Methods - John B. McKinlay,  PhD
• The Concept of ‘Science’ in the Behavioral and Social  Sciences - Jeffrey Coulter, PhD
• Theory Development and  Construction - Stephen Turner, PhD
• Concepts in Sample  Surveys - Sarah M. Nusser, PhD and Michael D. Larsen, PhD
• Do’s and  Don’ts of interviewing - Steve Woodland, PhD
• Administrative Data  Systems in Behavioral and Social Science Research on Health and  Aging - Vincent Mor, PhD
• A Reporting Checklist for Observational  Studies - Richard Berk, PhD
• Using Qualitative Methods to Study  Health and Illness - David Silverman, PhD
• Conversation Analysis as  an Approach to the Medical Encounter - John Heritage, PhD
• Integrating Software  and Qualitative Analysis - Eben  Weitzman, PhD
• Clinical Trials - Duolao Wang, PhD and Ameet Bakhai,  MD, MRCP
• Cluster Unit Randomized Trials - Allan Donner, PhD
• Multi-level Modeling: A Conceptual and Methodological Overview - S.  V. Subramanian, PhD
• Operationalizing, Measuring and Defining  Psychosocial Variables - Keith Widaman, PhD
• Ensuring Conceptual  Cultural and Equivalence - Leo Morales, PhD
• From Quality of Life to  Patient-Reported Outcomes - Donald L. Patrick, PhD and Gordon Guyatt, PhD

The online course was developed under a contract from the NIH  Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (http://obssr.od.nih.gov) by the  New England Research Institutes (NERI) (http://www.neriscience.com/web/default.asp).

Comments Sought on National Plan for Action to End Health Disparities

The Office of Minority Health is now seeking public comments on the National Plan for Action to End Health Disparities.

The National Plan for Action, which captures the status of minority health disparities in our country and proposes 20 strategies for their elimination, is a thoughtful and thorough collaborative effort of representatives from community, faith-based and non-profit organizations, academic institutions, foundations and Federal, State and local agencies.

Individuals are invited to comment on individual chapters of the report or on the report overall. Comments will incorporated into the final report.

The plan will be available for your comment until February 12, 2010.

Health Disparities Calculator Now Available

The Health Disparities Calculator (HD*Calc) is a calculator—statistical software that generates multiple summary measures for evaluating and monitoring health disparities—can be used either as an extension of SEER*Stat, which allows users to import Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) data or on its own with other population-based health data, such as from the National Health Interview Survey, California Health Interview Survey, Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey, and National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The intended audience for HD*Calc includes anyone interested in health and cancer-related disparities, as well as those interested in learning about summary measures of health disparities.

Data such as cancer rates, survival, and stage at diagnosis, which are categorized by groups such as ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status and geographic areas, can be used with HD*Calc to generate 11 absolute and relative summary measures of disparity. The output can be presented in both tabular and graphic formats, which will allow users to specify various conditions and formats. HD*Calc also provides pair-wise comparisons that allow users to explore underlying trends in the data.

HD*Calc can be downloaded on the SEER Web site, at http://seer.cancer.gov/hdcalc/.

Other relevant Sites:

• Methods for Measuring Cancer Disparities
• National Health Interview Survey
• California Health Interview Survey
• Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey
• National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey