Scientific and public attention
to issues concerning women's health has intensified in recent years. With this
new emphasis has come a clear recognition that, in efforts to promote health
and prevent disease, women's needs often differ from those of men. Awareness
of these differences has led to funding commitments for large-scale projects
such as the Women's Health Initiative, which targets women's health concerns,
and the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer (NAPBC), a public-private partnership
created in December 1993 to address the epidemic of breast cancer in the United
States. Other efforts in women's health include the emergence of women's health
as a legitimate field of scientific study and concern and the implementation
of requirements that women be included in research funded by the National Institutes
of Health.
Despite increased focus
on medical and epidemiological aspects of women's health, research has not adequately
addressed psychosocial and behavioral factors that contribute to health status.
This research agenda addresses that gap. The agenda evolved out of a conference
convened by the American Psychological Association in May 1994 to highlight
key psychosocial and behavioral factors in women's health. The agenda, which
was developed by the Conference Advisory Committee, builds on the growing body
of knowledge in women's health and articulates a set of priorities for the next
generation of research studies. Although some of the priorities delineated support
important priorities for women's health identified at the beginning of this
decade in Healthy People 2000 (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
[USDHHS], 1991), the agenda highlights the special role of psychosocial and
behavioral factors in meeting these priorities. This research agenda defines
research priorities pertaining to specific diseases and health practices that
greatly affect women. The diseases included are those that show high mortality
or morbidity rates for women and that may cause great physical disability, lowered
financial resources, and poorer quality of life. Although the primary focus
is on research issues, this document concludes with recommendations for educational
and policy priorities that intersect with the research agenda.
GUIDING PRINCIPLES
HEALTH BEHAVIORS
CHRONIC DISEASES
LIFE SPAN/DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
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