228619 Transforming women's health across the lifespan: Calling for an oral/systemic paradigm shift

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 8:30 AM - 8:50 AM

Ellen Daley, PhD, MPH , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Rita DeBate, PhD, MPH, CHES , Center for Transdisciplinary Research on Women's Health, Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Cheryl A. Vamos, PhD, MPH , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Erica Hesch Anstey, MA, CLC , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Elizabeth Baker, MPH, CPH , Department of Community and Family Health, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL
Judith Ebbert-Syfrett, MPH, RN , Community and Family Health, University of South Florida, College of Public Health, Tampa, FL
Background: Women's health emerged as a national priority late in the 20th century. Women's health issues include those that a) are unique to, more prevalent in, or more serious in women; (b) have risk factors and health outcomes specific to women; and/or c) require interventions unique to women. One area of women's health that has received scant attention overall is oral health – specifically the oral-systemic relationship, which presents in 1) conditions specific to women that impact oral health (menstruation, pregnancy, menopause, osteoporosis, oral contraceptives), 2) morbidities exacerbated by poor oral health (heart disease, diabetes, stroke), and 3) oral manifestations of behavioral issues more common among women (intimate partner violence, eating disorders). Statement of the Problem: While the oral/systemic connection is clear from the existing literature, a comprehensive, collaborative approach to women's health based on this connection does not exist in practice. Women's health care across the lifespan is frequently conducted in clinical practice, teaching, and research in “silos” within disciplines/practice areas, and dichotomized into reproductive and non-reproductive issues, resulting in a disjointed, narrow approach. Proposing a New Paradigm: As an interdisciplinary field, a public health approach utilizing a transdisciplinary team, systems approach to address the oral/systemic connection to women's health is needed. We propose an innovative strategy to reduce disciplinary silos, generate a new language, and determine the most effective strategies, programs, systems, training, and advocacy that will bridge the oral/systemic health of women throughout the lifespan, with the overall goal of decreasing morbidity and increasing quality of life.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Identify women’s health issues that impact or are impacted by the oral/systemic link. Describe a systems approach to meeting the unique health needs of women. Discuss the need for a transdisciplinary systems approach to women’s health.

Keywords: Women's Health, Oral Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the principle investigator on a study related to this abstract
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.