WOMENS HEALTH AND NUTRITION RESEARCH - UNITED-STATES GOVERNMENTAL CONCERNS

The US Public Health Service (USPHS) and the National Institutes of He alth (NIH) have a major commitment to women's health issues and to wom en's health research. ''To assess the problems of women's health in th e context of the lives women in America lead today,'' the Assistant Se cretary for Health, USPHS, appointed a task force whose report publish ed in 1985 identified issues, listed 15 recommendations, and served as a guide for the establishment of groups within each agency to impleme nt the recommendations according to their appropriate responsibilities . NIH established an Advisory Committee on Women's Health Issues which assessed NIH involvement in women's health research, made recommendat ions for implementation or expansion of this research, including a rec ommendation that women be included in clinical trials or their exclusi on be justified. An Office of Research on Women's Health was created. The NIH announced a Women's Health Initiative (WHI) in the spring of 1 991, which will address three of the leading health problems for women : cardiovascular disease, breast and colon cancer, and osteoporosis. T he WHI will provide an integrated, multidisciplinary approach through clinical trials, observational studies, and community trials. Clinical trials will evaluate hormone replacement therapy, calcium/vitamin D, and dietary modification of fat/fiber. Community trials will implement known interventions for relevant risk factors. Presented here are USP HS response to the mandate to address women's health issues; data from the US National Center for Health Statistics about the incidence and prevalence of diseases and risk factors in women; details about the WH I clinical trial; and aspects of the WHI applicable to the field of nu trition.