Volume 13: Issue 4 March 1999

More than 160,000 women are now participating in the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a 15-year study supported by the National Institutes of Health. Since 1991, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has examined the leading causes of death, disability, and frailty in postmenopausal women, including heart disease, breast and colorectal cancers, and osteoporosis. The initiative involves a clinical trial, an observational study, and a community prevention study. WHI centers are recruiting minority women for the observational study, which is looking at the relationship between lifestyle factors and health. For more information on WHI, visit www.nhlbi.nih.gov/nhlbi/whi1.

A new Medicare project will identify the best ways to promote health and prevent physical decline among older Americans. The Healthy Aging Project, sponsored by the Department of Health and Human Services, will identify strategies that have been successful in promoting a healthy aging experience. The project will test strategies that encourage the use of such clinical preventive services as mammograms, colorectal cancer screening, and flu shots, and reduce behavioral risk factors. The final product will be the first compendium of scientifically proven strategies to reduce behavioral risk factors for seniors.

A new vaccination to protect children against rotavirus (Rv) infection has been added to the recommended childhood immunization schedule for 1999 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. The Rv vaccination is now recommended at 2, 4, and 6 months of age. The vaccine should not be given to children less than 6 weeks old, and a first dose is not recommended for children 7 months of age or older. All doses should be completed before a child turns 1.

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