Locating information
on World Hunger
Where to look
How to search
How to evaluate
First, identify what you need
Why does the deficiency matter?
 Is the deficiency a problem in a
particular region?
 What is the extent of the problem?
 Who is affected?

Why the deficiency matters
What impact does the deficiency have
on
The individual?
 The household?
 The region?

Sources for consequences
of deficiencies
Course readings
 World Health Organization (WHO) –
nutrition section
 Health encyclopedia
 Internet search

Search terms: name of nutrient,
condition(s) caused by lack of nutrient,
<nutrient> deficiency, -ies
Prevalence in a region
Data!
Numbers – tables, charts, graphs
 Populations – age, gender, race
 Percentages – how many of a
population are effected?

Where to find data

International agencies


WHO, FAO, UNICEF, UNDP, WFP
Specific focus – may be government
or non-governmental

Micronutrient Initiative, Helen Keller,
ICCIDD
Why is there a problem?
Lack of food
 Lack of food diversity
 Lack of nutrient in staple food

Is the lack chronic or acute?
 Is it the result of a manmade or
natural disaster?

Programs
Describe specific programs (projects)
to address a specific need in a
specific population in a specific region
 For example: Distributing Vitamin A
supplements to children under 5
during National Immunization Day in
Zambia.

Locating Program
Information

Search the Internet


BUT be sure to check the authority of
the information you locate
Search library databases

To locate articles written in journals
about programs
Internet Search Engines
Many sites allow advertisers to pay for
better placement in the results
 On some sites it is easier to
distinguish between search hits and
advertisements (Sponsored Links;
Sponsored Matches)
 Evaluate the site you select to see if it
is trying to sell you something

Search tips for Internet Search
Engines
Look for “help” link on search page
 Use specific words and synonyms
 Put quotation marks around phrases



Put + in front of important words


“iodine deficiency”
+goiter +statistics
Use truncation to find multiple endings

Cretin* to find cretin, cretins, cretinism
Evaluating a website
What is the AUTHORITY of the author
or organization to provide information
about the topic?
 How CURRENT is the information?

Can you find a date on the page or
with the data?
 Johns Hopkins University – Evaluating
Information found on the Internet

http://www.library.jhu.edu/elp/useit/evaluate/
Library Databases
To find articles published in journals
use library databases
 Scholarly research – not just “what we
did” but why, how, results, analysis
 Harder to find very current information
 Sometimes the article is not online –
but it may be in the library

Selecting a database
There are numerous databases to
choose from
 Different databases cover different
journals
 Databases are often subject-specific

Databases for World Hunger
Academic Search Premier – wide
range of subjects, some full-text
articles
 Medline (PubMed) – wide range of
health related articles – some full-text
 CINAHL – Allied Health – nutrition
 Agricola – Agriculture

Search terms

Use synonyms or related words


Use AND between your search terms
– this will only return records with both
terms


Iodine deficiency or goiter or cretinism
Iodine deficiency and zambia
Use truncation to find multiple endings

Cretin* to find cretin, cretins, cretinism
Searching Databases

Look at the subjects or descriptors on
“good” records
Different terms than your search
 Other terms that are relevant


Do a new search using subjects or
descriptors
Full text access
Some articles in databases include full
text – look for a “full text” or PDF link
 If the full text is not there

Look for a link for “linked full text” that
will take you to another location
 Look for the SFX button – click on it to
see if any full text is available in the
library, or if it is in print

Ask for help
If you are having trouble finding
information ask a librarian for
assistance
 Keep track of all of the places you
have looked and the search terms you
used
 Don’t wait until the last minute!

Citing your sources
You must fully cite all of your sources
of information in your assignments
 Use the APA Format

Link with examples at
http://www.library.gsu.edu/instruction/c
itation-styles.pdf
 Full manual at the reference desk
 Use in-text citations for material you
copy or paraphrase

Policy on Academic Honesty
http://www.gsu.edu/~wwwdos/codeofconduct_conpol.html
Plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting another person’s work as
one’s own. Plagiarism includes any paraphrasing or summarizing
of the works of another person without acknowledgment, including
the submitting of another student’s work as one’s own. Plagiarism
frequently involves a failure to acknowledge in the text, notes,
or footnotes the quotation of the paragraphs, sentences, or
even a few phrases written or spoken by someone else.
Falsification. It is a violation of academic honesty to misrepresent
material or fabricate information in an academic exercise,
assignment or proceeding.
Full APA Reference to a
website document
Helen Keller International (2001). Iron deficiency in Cambodia: the
need for iron supplementation among preschool-aged children.
Cambodia Nutrition Bulletin 2(6). Retrieved March 11, 2004 from
http://www.hkiasiapacific.org/_downloads/CmbNutrBul_vol2_iss6.pdf
World Health Organization. (2003). Combating vitamin A deficiency,
the challenges. Retrieved March 11, 2004 from
http://www.who.int/nut/vad.htm
Iron Deficiency Anemia – China. (n.d.). Retrieved March 11, 2004 ,
from Tulane University, International Nutrition Program, School of
Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Department of International
Health and Development Web site:
http://www.tulane.edu/~internut/Countries/China/chinairon.html
In-text references
A 1992 survey found that iron deficiency rates in China for women
over 15 years old is 22.7% (Iron Deficiency Anemia – China)
In-text reference – direct quote
“Anemia prevalence among children 6-11 months of age was 79%
and nearly 20% had an Hb <9 g/dL. This level of severity more or
less persisted into the second year of life and then declined after
24 mo of age but was still very high.” (Helen Keller International,
2001, p.2)
In-text reference – direct quote – no page number
“Crucial for maternal and child survival, supplying adequate
vitamin A in high-risk areas can significantly reduce mortality.
Conversely, its absence causes a needlessly high risk of disease
and death.” (WHO, 2003, para. 3)
Making Comparisons

Identify what criteria are relevant for the
comparison




For each criterion:



Is the deficiency affecting the same population?
Is the staple food the same?
Is the infrastructure/level of industrialization
comparable?
Yes, they are the same or
No, they are not the same
Will that impact the likelihood of the program
succeeding? Why or why not?
Evaluating program
information

Was the program successful?


Are there data showing a decrease in the
prevalence of the deficiency or condition?
Why was it or wasn’t it successful?




What internal and/or external support was
needed?
What infrastructure was needed?
What geologic conditions were needed?
What education was needed?
Review of Submission


Not just a compilation!
You may need a team to check references
• Make sure reference is complete
• Make sure URL is correct
• Make sure in-text citations are present and refer to
items in the Reference List (Works Cited)
• Make sure all information is documented in a
reference

Sections should flow together and not
contain internal contradictions.