The topic controlled vocabulary is a list of the topic areas covered by the studies. It is a compilation of items from the MeSH and HASSET topic vocabularies. The topic vocabulary has two levels. Level 2 topics are subsets of the Level 1 topics.
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The table below provides descriptions of each of the topics and shows the relationship between the level 1 and level 2 topics. The description also includes source of the definition which have been taken from MeSH, HASSET, Oxford online, WHO, ONS, National Academy on Women's Health Medical Education, U.S. National Library of Medicine, Urdang (1988), Webster (1961), Stedman (1995) and Timmreck (1987).
| ID | Colectica Code | Level 1 | Level 1 description | ID | Colectica Code | Level 2 | Level 2 description |
| 0 | 0 | None | |||||
| 1 | 101 | Demographics | Statistical interpretation and description of a population with reference to distribution, composition, or structure. (MeSH) | 1.1 | 10101 | Place of birth | |
| 1.2 | 10102 | Gender | A person's concept of self as being male and masculine or female and feminine or ambivalent, based in part on physical characteristics, parental responses, and psychological and social pressures. It is the internal experience of gender role. (MeSH) | ||||
| 1.3 | 10103 | Ethnic group | A group of people with a common cultural heritage that sets them apart from others in a variety of social relationships. (MeSH) | ||||
| 1.4 | 10104 | Language(s) spoken | Language = The method of human communication, either spoken or written, consisting of the use of words in a structured and conventional way. (Oxford online) | ||||
| 1.6 | 10106 | Location | A particular place or position. (Oxford online) | ||||
| 1.7 | 10107 | Age | |||||
| 2 | 102 | Housing and local environment | Housing = Living facilities for humans. | 2.1 | 10201 | Housing | Living facilities for humans. (MeSH) |
| Environment = The external elements and conditions which surround, influence and affect the life and development of an organism or population. (MeSH) | 2.2 | 10202 | Neighbourhood | A district or community within a town or city. (Oxford online) | |||
| 2.3 | 10203 | Travel and transport | Travel = Make a journey, typically of some length. (Oxford online) | ||||
| Transport = Take or carry (people or goods) from one place to another by means of a vehicle, aircraft or ship. (Oxford online) | |||||||
| 2.4 | 10204 | Environmental exposure | The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical or biological agents in the environmental factors that may include ionizing radiation, pathogenic organisms or toxic chemicals. (MeSH) | ||||
| 2.5 | 10205 | Residential mobility | Frequent change of residence, either in the same city or town, or between cities, states or communities (U.S. National Library of Medicine) | ||||
| 3 | 103 | Physical health | Health relating to the body as opposed to the mind. (Oxford online) | 3.1 | 10301 | Cardiovascular system | The heart and the blood vessels by which blood is pumped and circulated through the body. (MeSH) |
| 3.2 | 10302 | Musculoskeletal system | The muscles, bones (bone and bones), and cartilage of the body. | ||||
| 3.3 | 10303 | Respiratory system | The tubular and cavernous organs and structures, by means of which pulmonary ventilation and gas exchange between ambient air and the blood are brought about. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.4 | 10304 | Nervous system | The entire nerve apparatus, composed of a central part, the brain and spinal cord, and a peripheral part, the cranial and spinal nerves, autonomic ganglia and plexuses. (Stedman, 1995) | ||||
| 3.5 | 10305 | Digestive system | A group of organs stretching from the mouth to the anus serving to breakdown foods, assimilate nutrients and eliminate waste. In humans, the digestive system includes the gastrointestinal tract and the accessory glands (liver, bilary tract and pancreas). (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.6 | 10306 | Urogenital system | All the organs involved in reproduction and the formation and release of urine. It includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra, and the organs of reproduction - ovaries, uterus, fallopian tubes, vagina, and clitoris in women and the testes, seminal vesicles, prostate, seminal ducts and penis in men. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.7 | 10307 | Endocrine system | The systems of glands that release their secretions (hormones) directly into the circulatory system. In addition to the endocrine glands, included are the chromaffin system and the neurosecretory systems. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.8 | 10308 | Hemic and immune systems | Hemic = relating to the blood or circulatory system. (Oxford online) | ||||
| Immune system = the organs responsible for immunity. The primary lymphoid organs are the thymus and the bone marrow; the secondary lymphoid organs and the lymph nodes and lymphoid aggregates (spleen, tonsils, gastrointestinal lymph tissue and Peyer's patches). (Oxford online) | |||||||
| 3.9 | 10309 | Hearing, vision, speech | Hearing = The faculty of perceiving sounds. (Oxford online) | ||||
| Vision = The faculty or state of being able to see. (Oxford online) | |||||||
| Speech = The expression of or the ability to express thoughts and feelings by articulate sounds. (Oxford online) | |||||||
| 3.1 | 10310 | Oral/dental health | The optimal state of the mouth and normal functioning of the organs of the mouth without evidence of disease. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.11 | 10311 | Skin diseases | Dermatology | Dermatology = the medical speciality concerned with the diagnosis and treatment of skin disorders. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.12 | 10312 | Congenital and malformations | Malformations of organs or body parts during development in utero. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.13 | 10313 | Cancer | New abnormal growth of tissue. Malignant neoplasms show a greater degree of anaplasia and have the properties of invasion and metastasis, compared to benign neoplasms. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.14 | 10314 | Mortality | All deaths reported in a given population. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.15 | 10315 | Reproductive health | Within the framework of WHO's definition of health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, reproductive health addresses the reproductive processes, functions and system at all stages of life. (WHO) | ||||
| 3.16 | 10316 | Women's health | A broad category of illnesses and health conditions associated with being female. Women's health is devoted to facilitating the preservation of wellness and prevention of illness in women and includes screening, diagnosis and management of conditions that are unique in women, are more common in women, are more serious in women, have manifestations, risk factors or interventions that are different in women. Women's health also recognizes the importance of the study of gender differences, recognizes multidisciplinary team approaches, includes the diversity of women's health needs over the life cycle, and how these needs reflect differences in race, class, ethnicity, culture, sexual preference, and levels of education and access to medical care, and includes the empowerment of women, as for all patients, to be informed participants in their own health care. (National Academy on Women's Health Medical Education) | ||||
| 3.17 | 10317 | Accidents and injuries | Damage inflicted on the body as the direct or indirect result of an external force, with or without disruption of structural continuity. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.18 | 10318 | Allergies | Altered reactivity to an antigen, which can result in pathologic reactions upon subsequent exposure to that particular antigen. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.19 | 10319 | Infections | Invasion of the host organism by microorganisms that can cause pathological conditions or diseases. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.2 | 10320 | Anthropometry | The technique that deals with the measurement of the size, weight, and proportions of the human or other primate body. (MeSH) | ||||
| 3.21 | 10321 | Physical characteristics | Pertaining to the body, rather than the mind. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 3.22 | 10322 | Physical functioning | |||||
| 3.23 | 10323 | General health | The level of health of the individual, group, or population as subjectively assessed by the individual or by more objective measures. (MeSH) | ||||
| 4 | 104 | Mental health and mental processes | Mental health = A person’s condition with regard to their psychological and emotional well-being. Mental process = A series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end, relating to the mind. (Oxford Online) | 4.1 | 10401 | Mental disorders | Mental disorders comprise a broad range of problems, with different symptoms. However, they are generally characterized by some combination of abnormal thoughts, emotions, behaviour and relationships with others. Examples are schizophrenia, depression, intellectual disabilities and disorders due to drug abuse. Most of these disorders can be successfully treated. (WHO) |
| 4.2 | 10402 | Personality | Temperament | Personality = behaviour -response patterns that characterize the individual. Temperament = Predisposition to react to one's environment in a certain way; usually refers to mood changes. (MeSH) | ||||
| 4.3 | 10403 | Wellbeing | The state of being comfortable, healthy, or happy. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 4.4 | 10404 | Emotions | Those affective states which can be experienced and have arousing and motivational properties. (MeSH) | ||||
| 4.5 | 10405 | Cognitive function | A set of cognitive functions that controls complex, goal-directed thought and behavior. Executive function involves multiple domains, such as CONCEPT FORMATION, goal management, cognitive flexibility, INHIBITION control, and WORKING MEMORY. Impaired executive function is seen in a range of disorders, e.g., SCHIZOPHRENIA; and ADHD. (MeSH) | ||||
| 5 | 105 | Health care | The organized provision of medical care to individuals or a community. (Oxford Online) | 5.1 | 10501 | Health services utilisation | The degree to which individuals are inhibited or facilitated in their ability to gain entry to and to receive care and services from the health care system. Factors influencing this ability include geographic, architectural, transportational, and financial considerations, among others. (MeSH) |
| 5.2 | 10502 | Hospital admissions | The process of accepting patients. The concept includes patients accepted for medical and nursing care in a hospital or other health care institution. (MeSH) | ||||
| 5.3 | 10503 | Immunisations | Deliberate stimulation of the host's immune response. ACTIVE IMMUNIZATIONinvolves administration of ANTIGENS or IMMUNOLOGIC ADJUVANTS. PASSIVE IMMUNIZATION involves administration of IMMUNE SERA or LYMPHOCYTESor their extracts (e.g., transfer factor, immune RNA) or transplantation of immunocompetent cell producing tissue (thymus or bone marrow). (MeSH) | ||||
| 5.4 | 10504 | Medications | Drugs intended for human or veterinary use, presented in their finished dosage form. Included here are materials used in the preparation and/or formulation of the finished dosage form. | ||||
| 5.5 | 10505 | Complementary therapies | Therapeutic practices which are not currently considered an integral part of conventional allopathic medical practice. They may lack biomedical explanations but as they become better researched some (PHYSICAL THERAPY MODALITIES;DIET; ACUPUNCTURE) become widely accepted whereas others (humors, radium therapy) quietly fade away, yet are important historical footnotes. Therapies are termed as Complementary when used in addition to conventional treatments and as Alternative when used instead of conventional treatment. (MeSH) | ||||
| 5.6 | 10506 | Health insurance | Insurance providing coverage of medical, surgical, or hospital care in general or for which there is no specific heading. (MeSH) | ||||
| 6 | 106 | Health behaviour | Behaviors expressed by individuals to protect, maintain or promote their health status. For example, proper diet, and appropriate exercise are activities perceived to influence health status. Life style is closely associated with health behavior and factors influencing life style are socioeconomic, educational, and cultural. (MeSH) | 6.1 | 10601 | Diet and nutrition | Diet = The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats. Nutrition = The process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth. (Oxford Online) |
| 6.2 | 10602 | Physical activity | Physical activity which is usually regular and done with the intention of improving or maintaining PHYSICAL FITNESS or HEALTH. Contrast with PHYSICAL EXERTION which is concerned largely with the physiologic and metabolic response to energy expenditure. (MeSH) | ||||
| 6.3 | 10603 | Sleep | A readily reversible suspension of sensorimotor interaction with the environment, usually associated with recumbency and immobility. (MeSH) | ||||
| 6.4 | 10604 | Smoking | Inhaling and exhaling the smoke of burning TOBACCO. (MeSH) | ||||
| 6.5 | 10605 | Alcohol consumption | Behaviors associated with the ingesting of alcoholic beverages, including social drinking. (MeSH) | ||||
| 6.6 | 10606 | Substance abuse | Disorders related to substance abuse. (MeSH) | ||||
| 6.7 | 10607 | Risk taking | Undertaking a task involving a challenge for achievement or a desirable goal in which there is a lack of certainty or a fear of failure. It may also include the exhibiting of certain behaviors whose outcomes may present a risk to the individual or to those associated with him or her. (MeSH) | ||||
| 6.8 | 10608 | Criminal behaviour | Crime = An action or omission which constitutes an offence and is punishable by law. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 6.9 | 10609 | Sexual behaviour | Sexual activities of humans. (MeSH) | ||||
| 7 | 107 | Family and social networks | Family = A social group consisting of parents or parent substitutes and children. Social networks = Support systems that provide assistance and encouragement to individuals with physical or emotional disabilities in order that they may better cope. Informal social support is usually provided by friends, relatives, or peers, while formal assistance is provided by churches, groups, etc. (MeSH) | 7.1 | 10701 | Home life | A person’s family, personal relationships, and domestic interests considered as a whole. (Oxford Online) |
| 7.2 | 10702 | Household composition | One person living alone; or a group of people (not necessarily related) living together. (ONS) | ||||
| 7.3 | 10703 | Marital status | A demographic parameter indicating a person's status with respect to marriage, divorce, widowhood, singleness, etc. (MeSH) | ||||
| 7.4 | 10704 | Family members and relations | Behavioral, psychological, and social relations among various members of the nuclear family and the extended family. (MeSH) | ||||
| 7.5 | 10705 | Friends | Persons whom one knows, likes, and trusts. (MeSH) | ||||
| 7.6 | 10706 | Childcare | Care of children in the home or institution. (MeSH) | ||||
| 7.7 | 10707 | Child welfare | Organized efforts by communities or organizations to improve the health and well-being of the child. (MeSH) | ||||
| 7.8 | 10708 | Social support | Support systems that provide assistance and encouragement to individuals with physical or emotional disabilities in order that they may better cope. Informal social support is usually provided by friends, relatives, or peers, while formal assistance is provided by churches, groups, etc. (MeSH) | ||||
| 7.9 | 10709 | Leisure activities | Voluntary use of free time for activities outside the daily routine. (MeSH) | ||||
| 7.1 | 10710 | Social capital | The expected benefits derived from the cooperation between individuals and groups. (MeSH) | ||||
| 7.11 | 10711 | Technology | |||||
| 8 | 108 | Education | Acquisition of knowledge as a result of instruction in a formal course of study. (MeSH) | 8.1 | 10801 | Qualifications | A pass of an examination or an official completion of a course, especially one conferring status as a recognized practitioner of a profession or activity. (Oxford Online) |
| 8.3 | 10803 | Further Education | Higher Education | FE:A sector which encompasses all post‐compulsory education and training, with the exception of higher education. Although a semantic distinction is made between further and adult education, FE in its broadest terms encompasses this, too. HE: Programmes of study which lead to advanced qualifications such as those at National Qualifications Framework (NQF) level 5 or 6 and above, such as degrees and diplomas. These are usually offered in higher education institutions (HEIs) such as universities, but may also form part of the provision of further education (FE) colleges, as in the case of foundation degrees. The higher education sector is largely comprised of universities and university colleges, and is distinct from the further education sector in terms of funding and purpose. The provision of higher education, however, is an area in which there is some overlap, since HEIs may accredit FE colleges to deliver some higher‐level, vocationally related courses. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 8.4 | 10804 | Training | The action of teaching a person or animal a particular skill or type of behaviour. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 8.5 | 10805 | Basic skills | Defines basic skills as ‘The ability to read, write and speak in English or Welsh, and to use mathematics at a level necessary to function and progress at work and in society in general’. Although initiatives have covered all age groups since the creation of the Basic Skills Agency in 1995, the term is most commonly used to refer to the skills of adults rather than of those under 19 years old, where General Certificate of Secondary Education and key skills qualifications tend to define levels of skill. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 8.6 | 10806 | Adult education | Courses of study offered for learners over the age of compulsory schooling. Sometimes used synonymously with evening classes, adult education encompasses a very wide range of provision, including prison education, education in the armed forces, adult literacy classes, and church‐based learning groups, as well as local authority and Workers’ Educational Association provision. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 8.7 | 10807 | Learning difficulties | Difficulties in acquiring knowledge and skills to the normal level expected of those of the same age, especially because of mental disability or cognitive disorder. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 8.8 | 10808 | Pre-school | Relating to the time before a child is old enough to go to school. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 8.9 | 10809 | Cognitive function | Cognitive = related to cognition. Cognition = The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 8.1 | 10810 | Cognitive skills | Skills acquired through cognition. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 8.11 | 10811 | Non-cognitive skills | A state of mind is non-cognitive if it involves no cognition or knowledge of any kind. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 8.12 | 10812 | School engagement | |||||
| 8.13 | 10813 | Education aspirations | Aspiration = A hope or ambition of achieving something. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 8.14 | 10814 | Lifelong learning | A form of or approach to education which promotes the continuation of learning throughout adult life, especially by making educational material and instruction available through libraries, colleges, or information technology. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 8.15 | 10815 | Primary schooling | |||||
| 8.16 | 10816 | Secondary schooling | |||||
| 9 | 109 | Employment and income | Employment = The state of being engaged in an activity or service for wages or salary. Income = Revenues or receipts accruing from business enterprise, labor, or invested capital. (MeSH) | 9.1 | 10901 | Occupation | Employment | Occupation = Crafts, trades, professions, or other means of earning a living. Employment = The state of being engaged in an activity or service for wages or salary. (MeSH) |
| 9.2 | 10902 | Social classification | A stratum of people with similar position and prestige; includes social stratification. Social class is measured by criteria such as education, occupation, and income. (MeSH) | ||||
| 9.3 | 10903 | Income | Revenues or receipts accruing from business enterprise, labor, or invested capital. (MeSH) | ||||
| 9.4 | 10904 | Finances | The monetary resources and affairs of a state, organization, or person. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 9.5 | 10905 | Assets | A useful or valuable thing or person. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 9.6 | 10906 | Consumption | Expenditure | The action of using up a resource. The action of spending funds. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 9.7 | 10907 | Pensions | A regular payment made by the state to people of or above the official retirement age and to some widows and disabled people. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 9.8 | 10908 | Benefits | Welfare | |||||
| 10 | 110 | Expectation, attitudes and beliefs | Expectation = A strong belief that something will happen or be the case | Attitude=A settled way of thinking or feeling about something: Belief = An acceptance that something exists or is true, especially one without proof. (Oxford Online) | 10.1 | 11001 | Social attitudes | Attitude = The way in which a person views and evaluates something or someone. Attitudes determine whether people like or dislike things – and therefore how they behave towards them. Attitude is traditionally divided into cognitive, behavioural, and affective components, although the main emphasis now tends to fall on defining attitude in terms of affect – the person's feelings towards the object, brand, etc. Is the brand good or bad? Is it likeable? The importance of the cognitive and behavioural components is still accepted, but they are no longer regarded as critical components. (Oxford Online) |
| 10.2 | 11002 | Politics | |||||
| 10.3 | 11003 | Religion | A set of beliefs concerning the true nature, cause and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency. It usually involves devotional and ritual observances and often a moral code for the conduct of human affairs. (Urdang, 1988) | ||||
| 11 | 111 | Child development | The continuous sequential physiological and psychological maturing of an individual from birth up to but not including ADOLESCENCE. (MeSH) | 11.1 | 11101 | Infant feeding | The provision of breast milk, or a bottle substitute, for a number of months after birth and thereafter nutritionally adequate and safe complementary foods until the infant or young child is fully weaned (WHO). |
| 11.2 | 11102 | Language and vocabulary | The gradual expansion in complexity and meaning of symbols and sounds as perceived and interpreted by the individual through a maturational and learning process. Stages in development include babbling, cooing, word imitation with cognition, and use of short sentences. The sum or the stock of words used by a language, a group, or an individual. (Webster, 1961) | ||||
| 11.3 | 11103 | Parenting | Performing the role of a parent by care-giving, nurturance, and protection of the child by a natural or substitute parent. The parent supports the child by exercising authority and through consistent, empathic, appropriate behavior in response to the child's needs. PARENTING differs from CHILD REARING in that in child rearing the emphasis is on the act of training or bringing up the children and the interaction between the parent and child, while parenting emphasizes the responsibility and qualities of exemplary behaviour of the parent. (MeSH) | ||||
| 11.4 | 11104 | Developmental milestones | Skills gained by a developing child, which should be achieved by a given age. Examples of such milestones include smiling by six weeks and sitting unsupported by eight months. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 12 | 112 | Life events | Any significant event in a person's life that may have beneficial or detrimental effects on social relationships and status. (Oxford Online) | 12.1 | 11201 | Retirement | |
| 13 | 113 | Omics | Suffix forming nouns used to denote rigorous, systematic analyses of the omes: e.g., proteomics, metabolomics, pharmacogenomics, toxicogenomics. (Oxford Online) | 13.1 | 11301 | Genetics | The branch of science concerned with the means and consequences of transmission and generation of the components of biological inheritance. (Stedman,1995) |
| Used for mechanisms of heredity and the genetics of organisms, for the genetic basis of normal and pathologic states, and for the genetic aspects of endogenous chemicals. It includes biochemical and molecular influence on genetic material. | |||||||
| 13.2 | 11302 | Genomics | The systematic study of the complete DNA sequences (GENOME) of organisms. (MeSH) | ||||
| 13.3 | 11303 | Transcriptomics | The study of transcriptomes and their functions. (Oxford Online) | ||||
| 13.4 | 11304 | Metabolomics | The systematic identification and quantitation of all the metabolic products of a cell, tissue, organ, or organism under varying conditions. The METABOLOME of a cell or organism is a dynamic collection of metabolites which represent its net response to current conditions. (MeSH) | ||||
| 13.5 | 11305 | Epigenetics | The systematic study of the global gene expression changes due to EPIGENETIC PROCESSES and not due to DNA base sequence changes. (MeSH) | ||||
| 13.6 | 11306 | Proteomics | The systematic study of the complete complement of proteins (PROTEOME) of organisms. (MeSH) | ||||
| 14 | 114 | Pregnancy | The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. (MeSH) | 14.1 | 11401 | Childbirth | The process of giving birth to one or more offspring. (MeSH) |
| 14.2 | 11402 | Infant mortality | |||||
| 15 | 115 | Administration | |||||
| 16 | 116 | Covid-19 | 16.1 | 11601 | Demographics (CV19) | ||
| 16.2 | 11602 | Housing and local environment (CV19) | |||||
| 16.3 | 11603 | Physical health (CV19) | |||||
| 16.4 | 11604 | Mental health and mental processes (CV19) | |||||
| 16.5 | 11605 | Health care (CV19) | |||||
| 16.6 | 11606 | Health behaviour (CV19) | |||||
| 16.7 | 11607 | Family and social networks (CV19) | |||||
| 16.8 | 11608 | Education (CV19) | |||||
| 16.9 | 11609 | Employment and income (CV19) | |||||
| 16.10 | 11610 | Expectation, attitudes and beliefs (CV19) | |||||
| 16.11 | 11611 | Child development (CV19) | |||||
| 16.12 | 11612 | Life events (CV19) | |||||
| 16.13 | 11613 | Omics (CV19) | |||||
| 16.14 | 11614 | Pregnancy (CV19) | |||||
| 16.15 | 11615 | Administration (CV19) | |||||
References
Stedman, T.L (1995) Stedman's medical dictionary (26th ed.). Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.
Timmreck, T.C. (1987) Dictionary of Health Services Management (2d ed.). National Health Publishing Co.
Urdang, L. (1988) Random House Collegiate Dictionary (rev. ed.). Random House.
Webster, N. (1961). Webster's third new international dictionary of the English language unabridged. Merriam.