Skip to Main Content

University of Portland Clark Library

NRS 651: Epidemiology and Clinical Prevention in Population Health: Population Searching & Data

Demographics

Population Searching in CINAHL

To determine how CINAHL describes your population, you might use the CINAHL Headings tool to examine CINAHL's hierarchical tree of subject terms. These top-level headings could be entry points; there is some overlap among the narrower headings.

  • Geographic Locations could be combined with one of the below types of headings, e.g., Hawaii AND Indigenous Peoples
  • Named Groups (includes Ethnic Groups)
  • Population (includes Demography, Family Characteristics, Rural/Suburban/Urban Population)
  • Population Characteristics (includes Demography, Communities, Socioeconomic Factors)
  • Sociology (includes Ethnic Groups, Family (and Family Characteristics), some Socioeconomic Factors)

Population Searching in MEDLINE

MEDLINE has a hierarchical tree of subject terms that is similar to CINAHL's; the MEDLINE tool is called Medical Subject Headings (currently "MeSH 2021"). These headings could be entry points because they have narrower terms; there is some overlap among the narrower headings. Links go to PubMed, where the hierarchy is more visible than in MEDLINE.

Age Filters in Library Databases

Some of the databases frequently used in nursing research have special filters for different age groups; using these filters is a great way to find articles about your specific population. Filters can be items you select from a list (default) or text you enter in a search box (noted below). 

Topic

CINAHL

MEDLINE

PsycInfo

Infants & Toddlers

Infant, Newborn: birth-1 month
Infant: 1-23 months
All Infant

Infant, Newborn: birth-1 month
Infant: 1-23 months
All Infant: birth-23 months

Neonatal (birth-1 mo)
Infancy (2-23 mo)

Early childhood

Child, Preschool: 2-5 years
Child, Preschool^^

Child, Preschool: 2-5 years

Preschool Age (2-5 yrs)

Middle childhood

Child: 6-12 years

Child: 6-12 years

School Age (6-12 yrs)

Adolescence

Adolescent: 13-18 years

Adolescent: 13-18 years

Adolescence (13-17 yrs)

Early Adulthood

Young Adult^^ (19-24 years)

Young Adult: 19-44 yrs

Young Adulthood (18-29 yrs)

Thirties (30-39 yrs)

Middle Adulthood

Middle Aged: 45-64 years

Middle Aged: 45-64 years

Middle Age (40-64 yrs)

Late Adulthood

Aged 65+
Aged, 80 and over

Aged: 65+ years
Aged, 80 and over

Aged (65 yrs & older)
Very Old (85 yrs & older)

End of Life

Hospice Patients^^
Hospice and Palliative Nursing^^

Palliative Care^^
Terminal Care^^

Palliative Care^^

^^Subject Heading rather than Age Group

library@up.edu | 503.943.7111 or 800.841.8261 | 5000 N. Willamette Blvd., Portland, OR 97203-5798
Copyright © University of Portland, All Rights Reserved | Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com