Rural Health
News by Topic: Women

FNS: Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC): Revisions in the WIC Food Packages Federal Register

Apr 18, 2024 - Notice of final rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) revising regulations governing the WIC food packages. The revisions align the WIC food package regulations with the current Dietary Guidelines for Americans and reflect recommendations made by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) in its 2017 report, "Review of WIC Food Packages: Improving Balance and Choice" while promoting nutrition security and equity. Among other things, this rule intends to provide WIC participants with a wider variety of foods that align with the latest nutritional science; provide WIC State agencies with greater flexibility to prescribe and tailor food packages that accommodate participants' special dietary needs and personal and cultural food preferences; provide foods in amounts that are more consistent with the supplemental nature of the Program; and strengthen support for individual breastfeeding goals to help establish successful long-term breastfeeding. This rule is effective June 17, 2024.

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Factors That Contribute to Differences in Cervical Cancer Screening in Rural and Urban Community Health Centers

Mar 25, 2024 - Summarizes recent research finding that female patients at rural Community Health Centers are more likely to be behind on cervical cancer screenings than patients in urban community health centers. Discusses factors associated with the disparity including English proficiency, income levels, employment, and primary care physician access. Notes that the disparity grew during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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EOP: Advancing Women's Health Research and Innovation Federal Register

Mar 21, 2024 - Executive Order from the Office of the President to advance and integrate women's health across the Federal research portfolio. Directs agency members of the White House Initiative on Women's Health Research – Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Director of the National Science Foundation – to develop or strengthen research and data standards that enhance the study of women's health across all relevant, federally funded research and other federal funding opportunities and prioritize grantmaking and other awards to advance women's health research. Among other things, this order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to address research gaps in understanding women's health, diseases, conditions associated with women's midlife and later years and directs the Secretaries of Defense and Veterans Affairs to evaluate the needs and develop recommendations related to the midlife health women service members and veterans.

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