Health Widgets for Websites: Free Medical Tools to Embed
Author: Ian C. Langtree - Writer/Editor for Disabled World (DW)
Published: 17 Jul 2011 - Updated: 30 Aug 2026
Publication Type: Instructive / Helpful
Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Definition - Overview - FAQs - Insights, Updates - Related Content
Synopsis
This resource catalogues embeddable health and medical widget applications from trusted government agencies and healthcare organizations, including the CDC, FDA, Healthfinder, and Health Canada. The curated collection proves particularly valuable for website owners, healthcare bloggers, and disability advocacy platforms seeking to provide visitors with immediate access to verified health tools such as BMI calculators, disease risk assessments, flu activity maps, and medication safety alerts. These widgets enable sites serving seniors and people with disabilities to offer practical health management resources without requiring users to navigate away from familiar platforms, reducing barriers to accessing critical health information and preventive care tools.
At a Glance
- 1 - Yahoo! Widgets lists 79 health and medical widgets. These cover a broad range of wellness and clinical topics.
- 2 - The Medindia Health News Widget offers over 500 health news topics. Users can select them by popular category or individually.
- 3 - Widgets are built by one website and embedded onto another using JavaScript, Flash, HTML, and CSS. They behave like traditional apps while running through web technologies.
- 4 - The CDC widget collection includes tools like the Diabetes Risk Test, Sodium Intake Quiz, FluView National Flu Activity Map, and Asthma Action Plan. These deliver up-to-date, credible health and safety content directly to your pages.
Topic Definition
- Health Widgets
Health widgets are small, embeddable web applications that let a website owner display interactive medical and wellness tools that were built and maintained by another organization, most often a trusted government agency or healthcare body such as the CDC, the FDA, Healthfinder, or Health Canada. Built with common web technologies like JavaScript, HTML, and CSS, they slot directly into blogs, personalized home pages, and community sites, giving visitors immediate access to resources such as BMI calculators, disease risk assessments, flu activity maps, and medication safety alerts without leaving the page they are already on. For sites serving seniors and people with disabilities, this approach lowers the barriers to finding reliable health information, because the vetted tools come to the reader rather than requiring the reader to hunt across multiple unfamiliar websites.
Overview
Widgets are online applications built by one Web site that can be displayed onto another Web site by embedding content in personalized home pages, blogs, and other sites. Widgets may be looked upon as down-loadable applications which look and act like traditional apps but are implemented using web technologies including JavaScript, RSS, JSON, HTML and CSS.
Health Widgets From Healthfinder:
- Myhealthfinder Widget
- Be Active Your Way Widget
Health Gadgets:
Find U.S. government information on drug safety, medical products, living healthy, and much more.
Medindia Widget:
Medindia offers a freely down-loadable Health News Widget that can be easily installed on one or all pages of your blog or website. Over 500 Health News topics can be selected by popular Categories or individually.
Five Minutes or Less for Health Widget:
Add the Five Minutes or Less for Health widget below to your site so you and your visitors can learn how to stay safe and healthy.
Widgets Tagged Health from Yahoo! Widgets:
There are currently 79 health and medical Widgets listed.
Men's Health Widget:
Stay connected with the Men's Health Daily Dose Widget.
Health Canada Widgets:
Recalls and Advisories.
Alternative Health and Other Widgets.
CDC Widgets:
Adding a CDC widget to your web pages or blog means that you will have up-to-date, credible health and safety content. Health and Medical Widgets and Gadgets on the CDC Include:
- 5 Clinician Quick Facts for 2009 H1N1 Flu Antivirals
- 6 Consumer Quick Facts for 2009 H1N1 Flu Antivirals
- Adult BMI Calculator
- Athritis Key Messages
- CDC Flu Feeds
- CDC Public Health Data and Statistics
- CDC Text Messages
- CDC Vital Signs
- Develop an Asthma Action Plan
- Diabetes Risk Test
- Emergency Preparedness & Response
- Emerging Infectious Diseases
- Everyday Health
- FDA Peanut-Containing Product Recall
- Five Minutes or Less for Health
- Flu IQ
- FluView National Flu Activity Map
- Fraudulent H1N1 Products
- H1N1 (Swine Flu)
- H1N1 Higher Education
- H1N1 School Guidance
- HHS 2009 Flu Info
- Hurricane Health and Safety Tips
- Knowledge to Action Science Clips Top Ten
- Lyme disease prevention tips
- Mensajes clave de artritis
- National Environmental Public Health Tracking Program
- Parents are the Key
- Pet Health & Safety
- Public Health Image Library Image of the Day
- Salud al dia (Everyday Health)
- Seasonal Flu Updates
- Smoking and Tobacco Use
- Sodium Intake Quiz
- Teen Pregnancy Prevention Quiz
- The flu ends with U Widget
- Tips to Prevent Lead Poisoning
- Tobacco Control State Highlights 2010
- Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) 2009
Frequently Asked Questions
Are health widgets free to use on my website
Most health widgets from government agencies and healthcare organizations such as the CDC, FDA, and Medindia are offered free of charge. You simply copy the provided embed code onto your page.
Do I need coding skills to add a health widget to a blog
No advanced coding skills are required for most widgets because they are installed by pasting a short block of embed code. Basic familiarity with your site editor or content management system is usually enough.
Will embedded health widgets slow down my website
Widgets that load external scripts can add some page weight, so performance depends on how many you embed and how they are built. Loading only the widgets your audience needs helps keep your pages fast.
Are health widgets accessible for people with disabilities
Accessibility varies by provider, and not every widget meets full accessibility standards. Website owners should test each widget with screen readers and keyboard navigation before relying on it.
Can I customize how a health widget looks on my site
Some widgets allow you to adjust size, color, or displayed categories, while others offer a fixed layout set by the provider. The available options are usually listed on the source organization download page.
What is the difference between a widget and a gadget
The terms are often used interchangeably to describe small embeddable web applications. Gadget was a common label on certain platforms, while widget became the more widely adopted name.
Are the health widgets on this page still maintained
Some listed widgets remain active while others may have been retired since the original publication. Institutional sources like the CDC and FDA continue to update their current widget offerings.
Can health widgets replace professional medical advice
Health widgets are informational tools such as calculators and risk quizzes and are not a substitute for professional care. Users should consult a qualified healthcare provider for diagnosis and treatment decisions.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: The shift toward embeddable health widgets represents a meaningful evolution in how medical information reaches people who need it most. Rather than forcing users to hunt across multiple government websites - an obstacle that disproportionately affects older adults and those with cognitive disabilities - these tools bring vetted health resources directly into the digital spaces people already trust and visit regularly. What makes this directory particularly relevant nearly fifteen years after its initial publication is that many of these institutional sources, especially the CDC and FDA, continue updating their widget offerings to address current health priorities. For disability advocates, accessibility professionals, and caregivers managing the digital touchpoints for vulnerable populations, strategic deployment of these widgets can transform a standard blog or community site into a genuine health resource hub.
Author Credentials: Ian is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, a leading resource for news and information on disability issues. With a global perspective shaped by years of travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed proponent of the Social Model of Disability, a transformative framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that emphasizes dismantling societal barriers rather than focusing solely on individual impairments. His work reflects a deep commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.