Washington, DC — The Office on Women’s Health in the Department of Health and Human Services is launching a new nationwide health education campaign designed for women who have multiple demands on their time. The year-long Pick Your Path to Health campaign, beginning May 15, 2000, helps women take simple and time-sensitive steps to improve their health, and will encourage local communities to promote practical, culturally interesting, and relevant action steps to wellness.

The campaign is the kickoff event for the newly designated National Women’s Health Week, celebrated the week of Mother’s Day, as a reminder that women must not forget to nurture themselves while taking care of their families and other loved ones. The dates for this year’s week will be May 14 through May 20.

Previous health campaigns aimed at women have emphasized long-term goals, such as losing weight or quitting smoking. In a departure designed to work with today’s multi-tasking, multi-cultural society, this new approach will suggest specific, life-oriented action steps—such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator and eating more fresh fruits and vegetables—so woman can manage their time and their health, one step at a time, in a single action.

The Pick Your Path to Health campaign will encourage health awareness among all women, with special emphasis on African American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Hispanic American, and American Indian and Alaska Native women, who as minorities, face disproportionate obstacles to health care. The campaign focuses on Healthy People 2010 objectives, the nation’s health agenda, announced in January by U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher.

"We know that we cannot meet our goal of eliminating racial and ethnic disparities in health status unless we work with local media and community organizations to craft messages that are meaningful and workable in local neighborhoods," said Dr. Satcher. "By combining a national campaign with community-based efforts, we hope to reach women with culturally sensitive suggestions for positive health choices."

"Every woman has the power within her to make good health choices, once she has enough information," added Wanda Jones, Dr. P.H., Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the Office on Women’s Health. "Pick Your Path to Health lets women with diverse health concerns chose their own journey to wellness."

Research has demonstrated that despite the gains made in life expectancy in the United States over the past century, gaps in key health measures persist among ethnic groups. For example, between African Americans and Caucasians, for which the most information is available, African American women are 25 percent more likely to die from heart disease and 86 percent more likely to die from a stroke. Similarly, among women of Asian American/Pacific Islander, Hispanic American, or American Indian and Alaska Native descent, cultural traditions and economic barriers can pose difficulties in obtaining reliable information on and easy access to health care.

The Office on Women’s Health will work with designated DHHS Centers of Excellence to provide assistance and develop educational events. Proposed activities include:

Boston, MA – conducting a poster contest on women’s health in 3 public schools. A celebration for contest winners and their families will include health screenings, and healthy eating and exercise activities. This local effort is being coordinated by the Office for Women, Family & Community Programs at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Indianapolis, IN – building relationships with inner-city churches to create better health programs in these communities. This local effort is being coordinated by the Indiana University School of Medicine.

Pittsburgh, PA – working with prominent women of color in their community to serve as spokespeople for the media and be featured in materials that reach women in the community. This local effort is being coordinated by Magee-Women’s Hospital Center of Excellence in Women’s Health.

San Antonio, TX – developing a TV news segment with their local Univision affiliate and working with utility companies by providing health messages of the month for bill stuffers. This local effort is being coordinated by the Medical Hispanic Center of Excellence University of Texas Health Science Center.**

Other communities will be able to download or request Community Action Kits from the Office of Women’s Health web site. More information about the campaign and National Women’s Health Week is available from the Office on Women’s Health web site at: http://www.womenshealth.gov.

The Office on Women’s Health provides national leadership in advancing women’s health in public policy, research, service delivery, and education. The office serves as a catalyst for developing national and regional initiatives to improve women’s health.

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