The National Institutes of Health (NIH) established the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) in 1991 to address the most common causes of death, disability and impaired quality of life in postmenopausal women. The WHI will address cardiovascular disease, cancer, and osteoporosis. The WHI a 15 year $628 million endeavor, and one of the largest U.S. prevention studies of its kind. The three major components of the WHI are: a randomized controlled clinical trial of promising but unproven approaches to prevention; an observational study to identify predictors of disease; a study of community approaches to developing healthful behaviors.

CANCER, DEMENTIA, ESTROGEN, HEART DISEASE, HORMONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY, MEMORY DISORDERS, OSTEOPOROSIS, POSTMENOPAUSE, RESEARCH, CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND DISORDERS, WOMEN'S HEALTH, AGING/ELDERLY, HORMONE THERAPY/HT