About the Office on Women's Health

2. RESEARCH AND PREVENTION

• Heart Truth Education Campaign for Health Care Providers
• HeartHealthyWomen Web Site
• BodyWise Eating Disorders Education Campaign
• National Bone Health Campaign: Powerful Bones. Powerful Girls
• Medical Research on Breastfeeding
• Conferences on Breastfeeding

HEART TRUTH EDUCATION CAMPAIGN FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS

• Developed by: HHS OWH in 2004
• Activity: OWH, with its National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health and its National Community Centers of Excellence in Women's Health, developed a companion Heart Truth education campaign for health care providers. It is based on the new prevention guidelines for women developed by the American College of Cardiologists (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA). It educates healthcare providers, including physicians and nurses, about the differences between men and women in the risks, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease.
• Products: These educational products include a package of grand rounds, CME (Continuing Medical Education) / Continuing Education Units (CEU) lectures, training and curriculum materials, and self-study core interactive modules. All materials are posted on the NWHIC web site at http://www.womenshealth.gov/hearttruth/ . They will be disseminated to providers at medical meetings and other venues.

HeartHealthyWomen WEB SITE

• Sponsored by: HHS OWH, beginning in 2003.
• Partners: HHS OWH has developed the HeartHealthyWomen web site in partnership with the Cardiovascular Research Foundation and WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease.
• Project: A web site that contains comprehensive information on the diagnosis and treatment of heart disease in women. It features separate sections for patients and healthcare providers on 1) the most important signs and symptoms of heart disease in women; 2) the accuracy of various diagnostic tests for women; and 3) the safety and effectiveness of treatments and surgical procedures that are appropriate for women with heart disease. Currently, the web site focuses on coronary artery disease. It will be expanded in the future to also include information on heart failure and other types of cardiovascular disease conditions.
• Purpose: To provide patients and healthcare professionals with the most up-to-date, gender-based science information on the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease in women. To address gender and racial disparities and to increase the participation of women in clinical trials of cardiovascular disease.
• Accessible: At www.HeartHealthyWomen.org. The online source for the treatment and diagnosis of heart disease in women.

BodyWise EATING DISORDERS EDUCATION CAMPAIGN

• Sponsored by: HHS OWH
• Audience: A national educational campaign on eating disorders that targets middle-school educators and health care providers who have contact with 9- to 11-year-old girls. The campaign educates the adults in these girls' lives of the risks associated with restrictive dieting and eating disorders. OWH worked with the Indian Health Service, the Office of Minority Health, the National Institutes of Health, and experts in both the public and private sector.
• Project Goal: To increase awareness and knowledge of eating disorders including their signs and symptoms steps to take when concerned about students, and ways to promote healthy eating and reduce preoccupation with weight and size.
• Project Materials: Each information packet, one for school personnel and the other for health professionals, includes fact sheets and resource lists emphasizing the link between healthy eating, positive body image, and favorable learning outcomes.
• Targeted Populations: The packet contains specific information on each of the major ethnic groups in the country. It has been cited by the Eating Disorder Advocacy Community as the best information available on these populations.
• Results: A formal evaluation of these materials completed two years ago showed a significant positive change in both the attitudes of school nurses and the policies of schools on the need to address eating disorders. The evaluation also showed an increase in the number of educational sessions provided by school nurses on this issue for other school personnel.
• Free Access: Information is available on the NWHIC web site at www.womenshealth.gov.

NATIONAL BONE HEALTH CAMPAIGN: Powerful Bones. Powerful Girls

• Developed by: A public/nonprofit partnership among HHS OWH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
• Project Focus: Launched in September 2001, this multi-year, national educational campaign promotes optimal bone health in girls 9 to 12 years old, so as to reduce their risk of developing osteoporosis later in life.
• Goal: To educate and encourage girls to establish lifelong healthy habits, especially increased calcium consumption and physical activity to build and maintain strong bones.
• Other Audiences: In addition to girls 9 to 12 years old, the campaign will target adults who influence them, including parents, teachers, coaches, youth group leaders, and health care professionals through web sites and materials.
• Accessible by: Visiting the campaign's web site at http://www.cdc.gov/powerfulbones.

MEDICAL RESEARCH ON BREASTFEEDING

• Project: At present, OWH is updating the HHS Blueprint for Action on Breastfeeding by funding a review of the following: the benefits of breastfeeding for infants and mothers and the practices to support breastfeeding. This review will be conducted through the Evidence-based Practice Center of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) at Tufts University. The review will be published in 2007.
• Partners: HHS OWH and AHRQ are working together to evaluate all medical research on breastfeeding and infant health, maternal health, and health interventions to support and increase U.S. breastfeeding rates. Representatives from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) are on the Technical Evaluation Panel.

CONFERENCES ON BREASTFEEDING

• Funded by: HHS OWH in FY2006
• Projects: Two National Breastfeeding Conferences were supported by OWH. The United States Breastfeeding Committee National Conference of State Breastfeeding Coalitions in January 2006, and the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine in October 2006.

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Current as of October 2006