Women's Health at CDC

CDC's work to improve the health, safety, and quality of life of women at every stage of life began more than 40 years ago. Learn more about how CDC focuses on preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability through programs and research.

Women's health has improved significantly in the last century, but much still needs to be done. For example,

• Heart disease, cancer, and stroke are the leading causes of death in women.
  (Source: Leading Causes of Death in Females, United States, 2006)
• More than one-third of U.S. adults were obese in 2007–2008; 35.5% were women.
  (Source: Prevalence and Trends in Obesity Among US Adults, 1999-2008)
• Women and infants disproportionately bear the long term consequences of sexually transmitted diseases.
  (Source: STDs in Women and Infants, STD Surveillance, 2008)
• Each year, women experience about 4.8 million intimate partner related physical assaults and rapes.
  (Source: Understanding Intimate Partner Violence, 2009 [PDF - 599 KB])

To address these and other diseases and conditions, CDC has numerous public health programs and research that focus on disease prevention and health promotion. In recognition of National Women's Health Week, below are highlights of several programs and resources developed to improve the health, safety, and quality of life of women at every stage of life.

Selected CDC Women's Health Campaigns and Programs

CDC's public health research and programs focus on preventing and controlling disease, injury, and disability. Below are a few of CDC's campaigns and programs.

Cardiovascular Health in Women
Well-Integrated Screening and Evaluation for Women across the Nation (WISEWOMAN) provides screening and lifestyle interventions to low-income, underinsured, or uninsured women in an effort to reduce risks for heart disease and other chronic diseases.

Chlamydia Prevalence Monitoring Program
CDC and its partners use the Chlamydia Prevalence Monitoring Program to monitor the prevalence of genital Chlamydia trachomatis infections among women screened for this infection in the United States. This is possible through publicly-funded programs.

Gynecological Cancer Awareness Campaign
The Inside Knowledge campaign focuses on raising awareness about gynecologic cancer and how to reduce its burden.

Violence against Women Prevention Program
Through the Preventing Violence Against Women: Program Activities Guide, CDC addresses intimate partner violence and sexual violence using the public health approach. This approach has five steps: tracking the problem, developing and evaluating prevention strategies, supporting and enhancing prevention programs, providing prevention resources, and encouraging research and development.

Women with Disabilities Program
CDC works to promote the health and well-being of women with disabilities through research, partnerships, and education.

Women's Safety and Health at Work Program
CDC conducts research on a variety of issues related to women's safety and health at work, including women exposed to hazardous substances, job stress, violence, and other employment risk factors.

Selected CDC Data Resources

CDC compiles statistical information to document the health status of populations and subgroups to guide actions and policies to improve health.

Below are a few of CDC's data resources.

Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Success Rates provides information on the chances of having a child by using ART and where to go to get this treatment.

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)is the world's largest, on-going telephone health survey system, tracking health conditions and risk behaviors in the United States yearly since 1984.

Breastfeeding in the United States: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys, 1999-2006 summarizes information on breastfeeding rates in the United States based on data from the 1999–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES).

Health, United States provides an annual picture of the health of the entire Nation. Trends are presented on health status and health care utilization, resources, and expenditures.

Heart Disease and Stroke Maps present county-by-county heart disease and stroke mortality rates for the state, racial/ethnic group, and gender of your choice.

The National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) gathers information on family life, marriage and divorce, pregnancy, infertility, use of contraception, and men's and women's health.

The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)is a surveillance project of CDC and state health departments. PRAMS collects state-specific, population-based data on maternal attitudes and experiences before, during, and shortly after pregnancy.

United States Cancer Statistics includes the official federal statistics on cancer incidence from registries that have high-quality data and cancer mortality statistics.

Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System monitors six categories of priority health-risk behaviors among youth and young adults, including behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behaviors; unhealthy dietary behaviors; and physical inactivity.

More Information

• National Women's Health Week
• Timeline of CDC/ATSDR Contributions to Women's Health
• Women's Health
• Women's Health Campaigns and Programs
• Support Women's Health
• Data and Statistics
• Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-Being (March 2011) [PDF - 2.03MB]
• Presidential Proclamation-Women's History Month, 2011