Public Priorities in Women's Health: Analysis of Request for Information Published to Inform “Advancing NIH Research on the Health of Women: A 2021 Conference”

OBJECTIVES: To assist with planning a congressionally requested conference on women's health research, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Research on Women's Health (ORWH) invited comments to characterize public concerns related to any or all of the specified public health issues: maternal morbidity and mortality (MMM); stagnant rates of cervical cancer survival; and the growing incidence of chronic debilitating conditions in women (CDCW). This analysis summarizes public priorities in women's health research. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All comments received in response to a request for information were open coded and a master list of keywords was created, and comments were categorized. Comments addressing CDCW were categorized using a conceptual framework developed by the NIH. RESULTS: Two hundred forty-seven comments were coded and analyzed. One hundred four comments (42%) addressed MMM; 182 comments (73%) discussed CDCW; and 27 comments (10%) addressed cervical cancer. Comments focused on CDCW most frequently addressed female-specific conditions (83%). The 10 most frequently identified keywords in order of frequency from the manual coding were as follows: (1) MMM, (2) racial disparities, (3) access to care, (4) provider training, (5) mental health, (6) Black or African American women, (7) screening, (8) quality of care, (9) time to diagnosis, and (10) social determinants of health. CONCLUSIONS: Comments demonstrate a broad range of concerns related to the health of women, including MMM, CDCW, and cervical cancer. A wide array of commenters included patients, advocacy groups, and academic and professional organizations originating from geographically diverse locations. These comments reflect a strong desire from the public to prioritize research on the health of women.