About the Office on Women's Health
4. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
MINORITY HIV/AIDS INITIATIVE
- Established: 1998. The initiative itself and funding was announced by the White House and HHS, in collaboration with the Congressional Black Caucus.
- OWH Role: In the context of this initiative, OWH provides guidance and advice to HHS on HIV/AIDS as it relates to women's health. OWH also integrates the initiatives' goals into its other HIV/AIDS programs.
- Background: Racial/ethnic minority communities are disproportionately and more severely impacted by HIV/AIDS than are other U.S. populations. They also experience significantly higher morbidity and mortality rates. Women (and minority women in particular) represent a growing number of individuals living with AIDS. Consequently, AIDS is one of the leading causes of death for women aged 25-44.
- Purpose: To address the severe and ongoing health crisis of HIV/AIDS in racial and ethnic minority communities through increased funding and outreach. Funds target programs to enhance effective HIV/AIDS efforts in three categories: technical assistance and infrastructure support, increasing access to HIV/AIDS prevention and health care, and building stronger community linkages to these needs.
NATIONAL WOMEN AND GIRLS HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY
- First Observance: March 10, 2006.
- Sponsored by: HHS OWH
- Partners with: HHS Office of HIV/AIDS Policy, The HHS Leadership Campaign on AIDS, the Office of Minority Health, other federal/regional/state/local government agencies, academic institutions, faith-based organizations, community groups, associations of health professionals, hospitals, and many other organizations around the country
- Goals: To raise awareness of the increasing burden of HIV/AIDS on U.S. women and girls in particular, but also on women worldwide. To provide an opportunity to discuss and explore the social context of women's lives as well as the risks and vulnerabilities specific to women and girls. To serve as a tool to promote discussion, share information, provide education on how to prevent infection as well as how to live with the disease.
- Background: A number of national and global observances are held every year to help people understand and fight the HIV/AIDS pandemic. HHS supports these observances, which help raise awareness and distribute information about HIV/AIDS.
- Resources: In support of these observances, HHS hosts a web site on HIV/AIDS Observance Days through its Office of Minority Health Resource Center (http://www.omhrc.gov/hivaidsobservances/women/materials.html). The site offers copyright-free materials that can be used to educate, motivate, and mobilize local communities in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
RESOURCES ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
- Provided by: HHS OWH
- Accessible: Through the web site of the National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC) at http://www.womenshealth.gov/violence/ or through a toll-free telephone call to 1-800-994-9662 (TDD: 1-888-220-5446).
- Resources: This specialty section online provides information on all types of violence against women, including specific resources for each type of violence and information on how to get help.
LUPUS EDUCATION AND AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
- Funded by: HHS OWH in FY2006.
- Project: OWH has partnered with a number of organizations to plan programs that have helped the public and health care providers develop a better understanding of lupus. The lack of understanding about this disease often contributes to misdiagnoses or late diagnoses that can result in disability or death. Consequently, OWH will continue to collaborate with organizations that can provide state-of-the-art medical information for scientists, researchers, health care providers, patients and their families, and the community.
- Purpose: To provide educational seminars to women who have been diagnosed with lupus and their families. To provide the most current medical information to health care providers, patients, and caregivers. To address the issue of support services, including the navigation of public health and social service departments.
- Activities: In FY2006 and FY2007, OWH will develop and implement a sustained lupus awareness and education campaign aimed at reaching health care professionals and the general public, with an emphasis on reaching women at greatest risk for developing lupus, specifically, women of color and other underserved populations of women. Three organizations will be selected to increase awareness and knowledge of lupus, its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
- Background: Lupus affects 1.4 million Americans, most often manifesting in women between the ages of 15ï€44. This autoimmune disease is two to three times more prevalent in women of color than in white women.
NATIONAL BREASTFEEDING AWARENESS CAMPAIGN
- Developed by: HHS OWH in 2000. Ongoing activities.
- Background: In 2000, OWH and the U.S. Surgeon General published the first-ever government policy on breastfeeding, the HHS Blueprint for Action on Breastfeeding. The Blueprint recommends that women exclusively breastfeed for 4 to 6 months, preferably for 6 months. The full text of the policy can be found on the NWHIC web site at www.womenshealth.gov/breastfeeding/.
- Project: Conducting a public health marketing campaign on breastfeeding was among the recommendations in the Blueprint. In 2002, OWH launched a public health marketing campaign to make the act of breastfeeding normal, desirable, and achievable. In June 2004, an education campaign was initiated by DHHS and the Advertising Council. It ended in April 2006.
- Goals: The campaign raised awareness of the goal to have new mothers breastfeed exclusively for six months and their child's (children's) reduced risk for certain illnesses and conditions such as ear infections, diarrhea, respiratory infections and childhood obesity. The major aim of the campaign is to reach the Healthy People 2010 breastfeeding goals: that 75 percent of new mothers breastfeed their child (or children) at birth, 50 percent breastfeed at 6 months, and 25 percent breastfeed at one year. In a recent issue of the Journal of Human Lactation (21:175,183, 2005), NWHIC was rated the #1 breastfeeding web site among 40 breastfeeding web sites.
- Results of Campaign: Significant increases in awareness of breastfeeding, knowledge of the benefits of exclusively breastfeeding newborns for the first six months, and comfort with seeing mothers breastfeed in public. More than two-thirds of all men and young women (between the ages of 18 and 34) are comfortable with breastfeeding in public.
WOMEN'S HEART DAY CAMPAIGN
- Campaign led by: Sister to Sister Everyone Has a Heart Foundation.
- Partners: HHS OWH is in its fifth year of partnering with the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); CVS Pharmacies, local hospitals; and health organizations to sponsor the annual Women's Heart Day Campaign.
- Campaign Activities: Includes an Executive Women's Breakfast, a health screening event on Capitol Hill, and an extensive media campaign to increase awareness of heart disease among women.
- Major Campaign Event: Women's Heart Day Health Fair, held on the third Friday of February in 14 cities nationwide. In 2006, this dynamic, interactive health fair included exhibitors, free screenings, healthy cooking and fitness demonstrations, children's activities, giveaways such as airline tickets and cruises, and panel discussions on topics such as stress, heart disease, fitness and nutrition.
HEART TRUTH EDUCATION CAMPAIGN FOR THE PUBLIC
- Partners: HHS OWH is a founding partner of the Heart Truth Campaign, launched in 2003 by NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and WomenHeart, the only organization founded by and for women survivors of heart disease.
- Goal: To raise awareness among women 40 to 60 years of age that heart disease is the #1 killer of women. It is at these ages that a woman's risk of heart disease begins to increase. The campaign warns women about heart disease and provides tools to help them take action against its risk factors.
- The Red Dress as a Symbol: The campaign's launch put the issue of women and heart disease in the national spotlight with the introduction of the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness. It underscored the message that "heart disease doesn't care what you wear." Mrs. Bush is an official spokesperson for the campaign, further enhancing its widespread publicity.
- OWH Activities: OWH has advised NHLBI on the campaign's products. OWH has also funded the development of the online speakers kit, the Heart Truth conference display for medical meetings, the placements of transit system billboards in some areas, local community news releases, and heart-related events in every region of HHS.
For Your Heart WEB SITE
- Developed by: HHS OWH in 1998. Website launched in 1999.
- Project: An interactive web site that offers cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention information for women. Based on information that women supply, For Your Heart provides them with personalized information on exercise, nutrition, weight management, smoking, diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, menopause, and other factors that affect their risk for heart disease and stroke. For Your Heart is unique in that it is the only online tool that offers individually tailored prevention information for women according to their race/ethnicity, age, menopausal status, and CVD risk factor profile.
- Purpose: To give women the knowledge and tools they need to reduce their personal risk of heart disease and stroke.
- Accessible: At http://www.womenshealth.gov/ForYourHeart/ through the web site of the National Women's Health Information Center.
BodyWorks OBESITY PREVENTION TOOLKIT
- Developed by: HHS OWH
- Audience: An intergenerational program for mothers and daughters that encourages healthy eating and physical activity. The BodyWorks Kit for the prevention of overweight/obesity focuses on the entire family in order to help prevent obesity in girls. The materials provide action steps for mothers to take in promoting and instituting health, diet, and physical activity at home.
- Project: A toolkit designed to prevent and reduce the incidence of overweight and obesity in adolescents, with a focus on girls. The project includes recommendations by advocacy organizations and selected experts within the obesity community, both within and outside of the federal government, who served on an Obesity Steering Committee that was convened in the spring of 2001. The Toolkit provides resources and action steps for parents of adolescent girls to increase healthy eating habits and physical activity.
- Targeted Populations: This kit is particularly relevant to minority populations because these children are at high risk for overweight and obesity. OWH is collaborating with the Indian Health Service to produce a version of BodyWorks that is targeted exclusively to the Native American population. OWH plans to adapt and translate selected pieces of the toolkit into Spanish for the Latino population.
STEPS TO HEALTHIER GIRLS
- Funded and supported by: HHS OWH Regions II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, X, since September 2005.
- In Partnership with: Girl Scouts USA and Affiliated Councils from the HHS OWH Regions listed above
- Project: HHS OWH has supported an education project between HHS and Girl Scouts USA, which is based on the Department's Steps to a HealthierUS. This project focuses on encouraging physical activity and healthy lifestyles for all U.S. girls ages 11 to 17 years. Projects lasted 6 weeks, during which time the participants increased their 1) level of physical activity; 2) knowledge about nutrition and strategies for selecting healthy foods; and 3) knowledge about the hazards of tobacco and its effect on their health.
- Targeted Audience: Girls ages 11-17 who participate in Girl Scout Councils, Girl Scout Councils, and Girl Scouts USA. In 2006, HHS OWH Regions I, II, III, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X will be represented.
- Result: Each of the participating HHS OWH Regions was represented by one council. The total number of participants was 431, and more are expected as the councils submit their data. After one more year of funding, the results of each year will be compared.
REGIONAL WOMEN'S HEALTH COORDINATORS
- Funded and supported by: HHS OWH, in each of the 10 regions of DHHS across the United States and its territories
- Activities: OWH regional staff have played a significant role in educating health professionals and consumers across the country regarding women's health issues:
- Disseminating information on national initiatives, treatment protocols, funding opportunities, drug approvals, and more.
- Convening meetings with their state and territorial women's health representatives to share health news and data.
- Distributing thousands of brochures and other publications to health professionals and consumers.
- Presenting current women's health information at meetings, conferences, and health fairs
- Helping develop curricula that focus on special population issues such as prison peer-education, female genital cutting, and peer-counseling programs to encourage breastfeeding.
- Participating in the development of, and providing training for, OWH's Quick Health Data Online. This database helps decision makers at the federal, state, and county levels plan health initiatives and interventions.
- Developing assessment tools for communities on women's health.
- Advising HHS Regional Health Administrators on women's health priorities.
Regions also provide technical assistance to their constituents that have resulted in innovative, gender-based approaches to mental health, domestic violence, female genital cutting, HIV/AIDS, breastfeeding, and leadership issues in academic settings. Other activities of OWH's regional staff include the following:
Border Women's Health Institute
- Funded and supported by: HHS OWH in Regions VI and IX of the Public Health Service.
- Partners: HHS Office of Minority Health, HHS Office of Global Health Affairs, and the Mariposa Community Health Center.
- Targeted Audiences: Promotoras (Lay Health Workers) working with Spanish-language populations, program administrators of Lay Health Worker-based programs, women's health program administrators, and border program administrators.
- Project Focus: Since July 2004, OWH has supported the development and implementation of a Border Women's Health Institute. The institute provides training to improve leadership skills and advocacy capabilities of lay health workers/promotoras who reside on either side of the U.S.-Mexico border. It promotes a holistic approach to health promotion and disease prevention through the lifespan for women in border communities.
- Results & Evaluations: A Spanish curriculum was developed in Year One. In Year Two, a successful pilot program was established. The pilot took place in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, with 24 promotoras and their supervisors along with 14 facilitators. Individuals came from Sonora, Arizona, Texas, New Mexico, and Chihuahua. At the end of the institute, evaluations showed that participants had the highest level of confidence in their ability to develop an action/advocacy plan for their communities. The largest changes occurred in the participants' confidence in their ability to formulate appropriate strategies to implement community change, build consensus and formulate a vision, implement an action plan, and deal with conflict as an opportunity for change.
- Next Steps: Among other activities, the launching of a community, borderwide, binational training initiative in 2007, which will include additional states: Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, Coahuila, California, Baja California. Modifications have been made to the draft curriculum as a result of feedback from the pilot. The final Spanish version is in the process of translation into English and will be available on CD.
Previous Page (Model Programs in Women's Health) | Home Page (About the Office on Women's Health)
Current as of October 2006
|
You may need to download a free PDF reader to view files marked with this icon.
