title: Gender-based health interventions in the United States: An overview of the coalition for healthier community initiative.
abstract: Health disparities by gender constitute an important yet often overlooked aspect of health around the globe. Within the United States, there is both a paucity of research as well as planned programs that take into account how socio-cultural roles and expectations for men and women may differentially affect symptoms, access to care, and treatment. Viewing women's health exclusively as a function of sex (i.e., biological) differences represents a narrow understanding that does not fully explain gaps in health disparities between men and women. In September 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) launched a national initiative entitled the Coalition for a Healthier Community (CHC) to employ a gender-based framework in several urban, suburban and rural communities across the nation. The Office on Women's Health (OWH) within the DHHS funded 10 coalitions to ultimately improve the health of women and girls utilizing a gender-based approach. This article provides an overview of the initiative and the focus of the special issue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health, 200 Independence Avenue, Washington, DC 20002, United States. Electronic address: Stephanie.alexander@hhs.gov.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.affiliation: Department of Education Leadership, Management & Policy, College of Education and Human Services, Seton Hall University, 400 South Orange Avenue, South Orange, NJ 07079, United States. Electronic address: Elaine.walker@shu.edu.
authors.forename: Elaine M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Walker
mesh_terms: D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D014481:United States; D014483:United States Dept. of Health and Human Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: Gender transformative programs; Gender-based program planning; Health coalitions; Women