Journal of the American College of Nutrition, Vol 12, Issue 4 329-336, Copyright © 1993 by American College of Nutrition
Women's health and nutrition research: US governmental concerns
N. B. Cummings
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
The US Public Health Service (USPHS) and the National Institutes of Health
(NIH) have a major commitment to women's health issues and to women's
health research. "To assess the problems of women's health in the context
of the lives women in America lead today," the Assistant Secretary for
Health, USPHS, appointed a task force whose report published in 1985
identified issues, listed 15 recommendations, and served as a guide for the
establishment of groups within each agency to implement 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 recommendations for implementation or
expansion of this research, including a recommendation that women be
included in clinical trails or their exclusion 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 1991, which will address three of the
leading health problems for women: cardiovascular disease, breast and colon
cancer, and osteoporosis. The 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 USPHS 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 WHI clinical trial; and aspects of the WHI
applicable to the field of nutrition.