The environmental health matrix: information for use in planning

Environmental and Health planners and policy makers would benefit from a presentation of the casual relationships and the use of that information for plan development and priority setting. The concept of the Environmental-Health Matrix provides a simple structure for constructing data base of environmental-health research information. The Matrix is organized so that it can be used by either environmental or health planners. Entries in the cells of the Matrix assess the nature of the research evidence and direct the user to summaries of research findings. The initial application of the Matrix as both a guide for a literature review and a data base for planning is discussed.