Agenda for women's health research. Improving women's musculoskeletal health

Abstract

Increased attention and resources focused on women's health during the past decade have resulted in new offices, policies, and programs of the Federal government. The Office of Research on Women's Health, established by the National Institutes of Health in 1990, is a focal point for all National Institutes of Health-supported efforts to improve women's health through biomedical and behavioral research. The Office of Research on Women's Health ensures women's appropriate inclusion in research studies supported by the National Institutes of Health. Through the development of a comprehensive agenda for research on women's health, the Office of Research on Women's Health encourages the consideration of gender issues and gender differences in health and disease in research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. The importance of research to study and improve women's musculoskeletal health has become increasingly recognized. Clinicians, researchers, and representatives of professional and advocacy organizations concerned with women's musculoskeletal health participated in the development of the initial research agenda on women's health in 1991 and participated in the meetings to update and revise the agenda in 1996 and 1997. As a result of meetings convened to review and revise the agenda on women's health for the twenty-first century, many recommendations for additional research on women's musculoskeletal health have been developed and now are being implemented across the National Institutes of Health.