Behavior and obesity in women across the life span: a report by the Society for Women's Health Research.

In October 2006, the Society for Women's Health Research convened a workshop that focused on the behavioral and social influences on obesity in women across the life span with an emphasis on ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and mental health. The purposes of the workshop were to examine the current state of the science related to behavioral influences on obesity in women across the life span; to determine the mechanisms, methods, and technical advances required for research progress in this area; and to develop an agenda for future research on behavioral influences on obesity in women. The workshop participants included psychologists, social scientists, clinicians, health educators, health services researchers, nutrition specialists, and epidemiologists, among others, who have expertise in obesity at critical life stages in women (childhood, adolescence, pregnancy, menopause, and older age). Discussions during the workshop focused on 4 specific topics: (1) the relationship between mental or emotional health and obesity in women; (2) the impact of social, cultural, and environmental factors on obesity in women; (3) the improvement of obesity research methodology; and (4) the development of obesity prevention and intervention strategies. Based on these discussions, participants proposed recommendations for future research.

Future research in sex differences in obesity and cardiovascular disease: report by the Society for Women's Health Research.

Obesity has become an international public health concern. In the United States, the rates of overweight and obesity have escalated dramatically in the last several decades. The health implications of obesity stem from its relationship with the development and progression of several health complications and diseases. Cardiovascular disease, which is the number one killer of women and men, is strongly influenced by obesity. The exact biological relationship between these two conditions is difficult to understand because several overlapping physiological systems and processes influence their development. One important component that affects obesity and cardiovascular disease is the sex of the individual. Although this basic biological variable is an obvious area for scientific study, research analyzing the influence of sex on obesity and cardiovascular disease is gravely lacking. The Society for Women's Health Research convened a workshop of obesity and cardiovascular disease experts in November 2005 to identify the gaps in scientific knowledge and crucial next steps in research related to sex differences in obesity and cardiovascular disease. This meeting report describes the workshop attendees' recommendations in detail.

Understanding sex differences in environmental health: a thought leaders' roundtable.

Under the auspices of the Society for Women's Health Research, a thought leaders' roundtable was convened at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in October 2002 to discuss recent advances in environmental health research, particularly those findings that explain sex differences in response to environmental exposures. Researchers discussed the latest findings on the interaction between sex and environmental exposures on health. Participants concluded that a greater focus on interdisciplinary, hypothesis-driven research is essential to advancing the field. To understand fully the potential effect of chronic exposures, researchers need to develop models to explore not only physiologic sex differences but also behavioral responses to low-dose and multiple chemical exposures. Future research should examine sex differences from the cell line to behaviors and should track these differences across multiple generations. Federal agencies should support such research in their awards of investigator-initiated grants.

Understanding the biology of sex and gender differences: using subgroup analysis and statistical design to detect sex differences in clinical trials.

In May 2000, a General Accounting Office (GAO) report revealed that although women are now participating in clinical trials in numbers proportionate to their numbers in the general population, data collected in these trials are not routinely analyzed by sex.[1] Without such sex analysis, clinically relevant information about potentially lifesaving treatments could be lost. In July 2001, the Society for Women's Health Research convened a workshop to address strategies for conducting subgroup analyses to detect sex differences. Workshop participants concluded that understanding sex differences will enable medical researchers to design healthcare interventions for both men and women more effectively and that one can plan for and conduct sex analysis without compromising the quality of the study or making the study prohibitively expensive.

Positioning women's health curricula in US medical schools.

PURPOSE: This survey was undertaken to evaluate the status of women's health curricula at US medical schools. METHODS: The Society for Women's Health Research surveyed 125 US medical schools to gather information on the existence of and institutional funding and support for women's health curricula. RESULTS: After a minimum of 2 reminder emails, 68 schools returned completed surveys for a positive response rate of 54.4%. Thirty (44%) schools responded that they currently offered a women's health curriculum; 12 (18%) schools stated that they had plans to develop one. Of the 42 schools that either offered a women's health curriculum or were planning one, two thirds (n = 28) reported having a designated office responsible for overseeing the curriculum; the Associate Dean of Medicine/Associate Dean of the Medical School was most frequently the person responsible for this office. Overall, more than half of the responding schools reported receiving funding for this office either through general medical school funds (15/28) or from a Dean's fund (9/28). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that while US medical schools have made great strides in training medical students in women's health, schools can do more to ensure that women's health has an "academic home" within their institutions. Further, efforts to secure adequate funding and train a cross-section of faculty in women's health should be increased.

Interdisciplinary research is key to understanding sex differences: report from the Society for Women's Health Research Meeting on understanding the biology of sex differences.

Progress in sex-based biology, the study of biological and behavioral differences between males and females, and the impact of those differences on health and disease will require collaboration across research disciplines and medical specialties and among all research approaches, from molecular biology to epidemiology. The importance of sex-based biology to healthcare necessitates a bench-to-bedside approach that is built on integration of research findings from studies at the cellular level, in animals, and in human subjects. Barriers to interdisciplinary collaborations are being addressed in a variety of ways by public and private funders. The J.D. and C.T. MacArthur Foundation supports interdisciplinary research networks that address broad questions in health and behavior. The National Institute of Mental Health supports cross-disciplinary research networks investigating the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal network. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development offers grants for Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women's Health. The National Science Foundation Directorate for Biological Sciences sponsors Research Coordination Networks in Biological Sciences. Among the challenges faced by interdisciplinary research programs are appropriate peer review, career advancement for young investigators with interdisciplinary training, and acceptance of interdisciplinary research reports by high-quality scientific publications.

Sex, genes and hormones.

The multidisciplinary symposium convened by the Society for Women's Health Research 'Sex Begins in the Womb' was held at the Crowne Plaza Cabana, Palo Alto, CA, USA, on 1 March 2002.