Women's health: a national plan for action.

Women's health is a central item on the national health agenda for the 1990s. Renewed attention to the health needs of women has led to a national plan for action with interventions in research, prevention, treatment, training, public information, and public policy. Since research and training are pivotal to the promulgation of any national health agenda, this has particular importance for dental research and dental education. The 38-goal PHS Action Plan for Women's Health, which directs resources of the U.S. Public Health Service (PHS) toward women's health is coordinated by the Office on Women's Health and implemented through the PHS agencies and offices including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It encompasses large scale research interventions like the NIH "Women's Health Initiative" as well as other biomedical, biobehavioral, and health services research programs.