FOR  IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, February 14, 2000
Contact: Office on Women’s Health
(202) 690-7650

OFFICE ON WOMEN'S HEALTH
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

WOMEN'S HEALTH AND BODY IMAGE FOCUS ADDED TO THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S HEALTH INFORMATION CENTER

Washington, February 14, 2000---The Office on Women's Health in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today launched a special section addressing health and body image issues as part of the expanding award-winning National Women's Health Information Center (NWHIC). NWHIC serves as a single gateway to thousands of federal and private sector publications and organizations on women's health through its Web site (http://www.womenshealth.gov) and toll-free information number (1-800-994-WOMAN or TDD: 1-888-220-5446.)

"Women's Body Image and Health" will offer information and referrals to sources on nutrition, exercise, mind/body wellness and eating disorders, including links to other federal information sites. It will also provide easy access to Bodywise materials, designed to inform middle school educators how to recognize eating disorders in young women.

"Poor nutrition, obesity, and fatigue are often symptomatic of busy lives" said Wanda Jones, Dr. P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health (Women's Health) and Director of the HHS Office on Women's Health. "That, plus media images of overly thin women can lead to a myriad of poor health choices, including inadequate nutrition in an attempt to lose weight."

It is estimated that one out of five Americans order take-out food every day from fast food restaurants, and nearly twenty thousand young American women are admitted to hospitals every year for treatment of eating disorders. Fewer than 60% of women engage in physical activity at least three times a week. "Women's Health and Body Image" is designed to give women fast and easy access to the information they need to made positive health choices about diet and physical activity.

The new section will provide information for both adult women and adolescents on the leading causes of illness and death for American females, including cancer, heart disease, sexually transmitted diseases, injuries, osteoporosis and diabetes. It includes a "Quick Quiz," designed to test a woman's knowledge about critical health information.

"This new section is being launched on Valentine's Day as a reminder that it is important for all women to love and nurture themselves," said Dr. Jones. "That is too often forgotten by women who are busy taking care of children, husbands, parents, friends, and other loved ones. "

NWHIC is the only combined comprehensive health web site and hotline service offered by the federal health agencies. It was recently given the "Comprehensive Health Information" Award at the 2000 Technology Games, as part of the Partnerships for Health in the New Millennium Conference in January. NWHIC is designed to provide information on how women are uniquely affected by health concerns that threaten the general population, as well as on health issues that are exclusive to women. Other special areas recently developed are a general Spanish-language section, a section devoted to the health concerns of women of color, a site for women with disabilities, a section designed for the media that provides easy access to women's health statistics, and a section on men's health designed to help women better understand the health issues of the men in their lives.

The NWHIC web site provides links to more than 1,000 federal agencies and publications on women's health as well as a number of related private sector organization Web sites. NWHIC also provides frequently asked questions on top health issues of concern to American women. The site, in operation only a year, has already received more than fifteen million hits from users seeking information on a wide variety of women's health issues. The toll-free number connects the caller to a health information specialist who will refer the caller to the right source of information. Women and their health care providers can also order fact sheets, brochures and other printed materials by phone. Users can offer feedback on the section through NWHIC's e-mail service or toll free telephone number. Information specialists are available on its toll-free telephone service from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Office on Women's Health provides national leadership in advancing women's health. It acts as a catalyst for new national and regional initiatives to improve women's health, including support for 17 Centers of Excellence in Women's Health that serve as models for integrated and comprehensive women's health care services and research.

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Office on Women's Health Department of Health and Human Services

Note: HHS press releases are available on the World Wide Web at: http://www.hhs.gov.