Women's health and nutrition research: US governmental concerns

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.