Title banner for the Office on Women's Health
About USCalendarNational StaffRegional StaffNWHICContact UsOWH Home

Older Women's Health

One of the most profound trends driving the programs and initiatives of the Office on Women’s Health (OWH) within the Department of Health and Human Services is the graying of the baby boom generation. By the year 2030, one in four American women will be over the age of 65. In face of these trends, the OWH is targeting its programs and activities to entire lifespan of a women’s life. OWH specifically works to promote older women’s health through the programs and activities listed below.


Conventional, Complimentary and Alternative Menopausal Practices Survey (CAMPS)
A Subcommittee of the Federal Interagency Working Group on Women’s Health and the Environment has developed a survey to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and practices of women, ages 45 and older, with regard to menopause and conditions related to menopause, and to include an assessment of environmental influences - such as pharmacological, behavioral, and alternative therapies and practices. This study was conducted in Florida, Minnesota and Tennessee through Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System. The data was presented at a national conference at the National Institutes of Health in October, 2000 and a publication will be available early 2001.

The OWH contact person for CAMPS is Dr. Saralyn Mark.

Top


Menopause and Hormone Therapy section on NWHIC

Check out NWHIC's section on Menopause and Hormone Therapy!
If you are approaching menopause or are in menopause, you might wonder if the changes in your body are normal.  It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all of the ads for and news on treatments for your symptoms. Here you will find all of the most recent research news on hormone therapy, as well as the best organizations and publications on menopause.  Take advantage of this unique time in your life to focus more on yourself and make changes that will improve your health!

Top


Menopause Resource Guide
More than 40 million American women are postmenopausal, and within the next 25 years this number is expected to increase to 60 million. At the turn of the century, most women did not live past menopause. However, public health interventions and applied medical research have extended women's lives, on average, by 30 years in this century, but for many menopausal women this longer life has only meant more years of poor health and disability. Too little is known about how to promote good health and prevent, detect, and manage disease and disability in older women. This Resource Guide highlights Federal agencies, organizations, newsletters, and books dedicated to the improvement of the health of postmenopausal women.

The Menopause Resource Guide is compiled by Dr. Saralyn Mark.

Top


WLLLW: Women Living Longer, Living Well
Looking to the future, The Women's Health Coordinating Committee of the Department of Health and Human Services, coordinated by the Office on Women's Health, meets regularly to evaluate the health needs of an aging population of American women, and one that is increasingly diverse.

The committee has developed a project called "Women Living Long and Living Well," or "WLLLW" (pronounced "willow"). Interested in developing a framework for women's health for the new century, these federal health experts recognized that like the willow tree, a strong, viable framework would have to grow from the ground up.

Seeking input from local communities, the Department's regional women's health coordinators and coordinating committee members went to communities all over the country, including Puerto Rico, for listening sessions to discuss the WLLLW framework, and to gather input on women's health needs, gaps and priorities from the insights and experiences of women's health leaders from local communities. Public comment was also sought through a Federal Register notice. This information was synthesized into a framework consistent with Healthy People 2010, the nation's health agenda for the next decade.

Healthy People 2010 has two goals: to improve the quality and years of life and to eliminate health disparities. The WLLLW framework focused on three pathways to achieve those goals: improving chances for independent living through better access to and coordination of health care, services, and messages; building networks of providers and communities to integrate prevention and treatment as well as mental and physical health care; and enhancing knowledge base through sex and gender based research and multi disciplinary collaboration. Culturally relevant approaches, outcome evaluation and follow up, and rapid implementation of findings are critical elements of all the pathways.

Session participants consistently emphasized that women's health must be addressed holistically and throughout the life span; it does not begin and end with childbearing; life-long good health begins with early education on healthy behaviors, nutrition, exercise, and self-esteem development. As federal health agencies plan for future generations of American women, WLLLW can provide guidance about community needs and priorities as we seek to protect and advance the health of America's women.

Top


About Us | Calendar | National Staff | Regional Staff | NWHIC | Contact Us