In the not-too-distant past, a journal issue on women's health would most likely have focused on reproductive health issues since that was the primary focus when we considered the health of women. Until recently, medical research ignored many health issues important to women, and women were underrepresented in clinical trials. Because of this, women are often diagnosed and treated based on what has been proven effective for men. Thankfully, medical research has now been broadened to include women equally as participants, and new findings are helping us to understand the health needs of women.

As in American men, heart disease is the number one killer of American women. Symptoms of a heart attack may be very different in women than in men, leading to misdiagnosed events and poorer outcomes. Forty-two percent of women die within a year after a heart attack, as compared to 24% of men. 1 It is important, then, to understand the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in women. In this issue, McComb and her colleagues explore the relationship between CVD risk factors and eating disorder attitudes.

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in American women. Lung cancer has surpassed breast cancer as the number one cancer killer of women, owing in part to the increasing numbers of women smoking. Breast cancer follows lung cancer as the number two cancer killer of women. Delnevo and her colleagues discuss smoking and weight control in young women. Coughlin and his associates review the rates of cervical cancer screening in Hispanic and non-Hispanic women along the US-Mexico border, and Tacon discusses attachment experiences in women with breast cancer.

Although HIV/AIDS was once considered a man's disease, it is now the fifth leading cause of death among American women aged 25 to 44 and the third leading cause of death in African American women in this age group. 1 Two articles deal with this issue. Williams and his colleagues provide an ethnically sensitive assessment of HIV in African American women, comparing urban and rural women. Koniak-Griffin and her colleagues describe Project CHARM, an HIV prevention program for adolescent mothers.

Finally, the sites where women can be reached for health education efforts have increased, as more women have entered the workforce. Unfortunately, women are also the fastest growing incarcerated population in the United States. Mullen and her associates discuss how jails can be used as venues for addressing women's health needs.

Women's health issues are a growing concern among public health professionals and researchers. For more information on the state of women's health, I would like to suggest that you visit the Web site of the Office on Women's Health 1 at http://www.4woman.gov. I hope that this special issue on women's health will add to the body of knowledge in the field.

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