Epidemiological Studies
From Dialogues in Contraception, Summer 2001
— Cancer and Steroid Hormone Study (CASH) 1980-1982. Population-based case-control study of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancer. Subjects were women aged 20 to 54 with a first diagnosis or breast, endometrial, or ovarian cancer. Focused on risk association of oral contraceptives and the above cancers. Coordinated by Division of Reproductive Health of CDC, and National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

— The Cochrane Collaboration An international organization with an objective to help individuals make well-informed decisions regarding health care by providing accessible systematic reviews of the effects of health care interventions. The Cochrane Library, available on disc, the Internet, and on CD-ROM, includes:
  — The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews,
  — The Cochrane controlled trials Register,
  — The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE),
  — The Cochrane Review Methodology Database, and
  — a Reviewer's Handbook.

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— National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Three in the 1960's, one 1970, 1971-75, 1976-80, 1982-84,1988-94. Home interview of subject with health tests. Subjects drawn from representative samples of US population. Focus on diet and health initially, later nutrition and relationship to health status,and more recently, environmental effects on health. Sponsor National Survey of Family Growth, in the Public Health Service.

— National Survey of Family Growth Five cycles: 1973, 76, 82, 88 and 1995. Personal interviews, and in 1995, computer assisted. Subjects were women aged 15 to 44. Focus on factors affecting pregnancy and women's health in the US Sponsor was National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). "The only representative national source of data on these topics."

— Nurses' Health Study Information gathered every two years since 1976 by mailed questionnaire of 121,700 female registered nurses. Focus includes medical history, postmenopausal hormone use, health related variables, risk factors, major illnesses, hormone types used, dietary and physical activity. Sponsor is Harvard School of Public Health. ". . . results from the Nurses' Health Study are well publicized and highly influential."

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— Women's Contraceptive and Reproductive Experiences (Women's CARE, also known as CASH II) A case control study of about 5000 women aged 35 to 64. Focus on breast cancer risk in oral contraceptive users compared to never-users, and related questions about dosage, race, time, and hormone replacement therapy. Like CASH, also sponsored by NICHD.

— Women's health Initiative (WHI) 15 year project started in 1991. Three components include a randomized clinical trial, an observational study, and a community prevention study. Subjects are 1621,000 women aged 50 to 79 from 40 US clinical centers recruited in 1998. Objectives are to increase understanding of diet and nutrition in relation to the outcomes of death, disability, and impaired quality of life in postmenopausal women. Sponsored jointly by the CDC and NIH.

— US Collaborative Review of Sterilization (CREST) The largest and longest study of women undergoing tubal sterilization in the US, it ran from 1978 to 1987. Subjects included more than 11,000 women aged 18 to 44 at one of nine centers. Nurse interviewers used a pretested standardized questionnaire prior to the procedure and five annual follow ups. Focused on risk of sterilization failure, ectopic pregnancy, and risk of regret.

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Evidence Based Medicine
— Evidence-based Medical Course From SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Medical Research Library of Brooklyn. (Type "Evidence-based & course" into a search engine for a more extensive listing of courses.) 11/02, jk

— Evidence Based Medicine Tool Kit Evidence Based Medicine Working Group. 12/02, jk

— Evidence-based Practice. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. 11/22/01, jk

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