LOS ANGELES, Jun 6, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Despite years of public health
campaigns advising that taking the B vitamin folic acid helps prevent serious
birth defects of the brain and spine, most women of childbearing age are still
not taking the vitamin in time, according to a national survey released today by
the March of Dimes.
Only 32 percent of women between the ages of 18 and 45 who were not pregnant at
the time of the survey took a daily multivitamin containing folic acid. This
figure has increased only slightly since 1995, the first year the March of Dimes
surveyed women. This despite the fact that 75 percent of women say they are
aware of folic acid, up from 52 percent in 1995.
"We are greatly disturbed by this lag between awareness and behavior," said Dr.
Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "We are communicating to
women this urgent message about consuming folic acid, but we see that there's a
lot of work left to do. There are parallels here with the anti-smoking campaigns
that took almost 30 years to achieve a major decrease in smoking rates."
She noted that 9 out of 10 women do not know that folic acid must be consumed
prior to pregnancy to be effective, and that only 1 in 7 know that folic acid
prevents birth defects. "We think this shows that very few women truly
understand the importance of folic acid," Howse said. Research has shown that
the consumption of 400 mg. prior to conception reduces the risk of NTDs by up to
70 percent.
Importance of the News Media
Half of the women aware of folic acid say they learned about it from a magazine
or newspaper article or a radio or television broadcast. One in 5 women (20
percent) say their physician or other health care provider told them about the B
vitamin.
"Physicians and other health care providers should use every contact with women
of childbearing age as an opportunity to teach them about the critical
importance of daily folic acid," said Howse. "This survey should be a call to
action for every doctor, nurse, and midwife."
Locally, community education about the critical importance of folic acid is an
ongoing effort. March of Dimes volunteers throughout Southern California are
available to educate and train employees of community based organizations,
corporations and schools; they are also active in local health fairs and
partnerships with organizations such as the county Department of Health
Services.
The March of Dimes is in the second year of a $10 million, multi-year national
folic acid education campaign aimed at reducing the incidence of neural tube
defects by at least 30 percent by the year 2001. Among the current elements of
the campaign, which recognizes the importance of the mass media in reaching
women of childbearing age, are new print and broadcast public service
advertisements (PSAs). The print PSA, launched in May, features actress Salma
Hayek in the first of a projected series with celebrities.
The broadcast PSAs, which begin this month, include television and radio spots
alerting women that "sometimes a pregnancy can surprise you." In California,
approximately 52 percent of all pregnancies are unplanned.
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are among the most serious and common birth defects
in the United States. Each year, an estimated 2,500 babies are born with these
defects, and many additional affected pregnancies result in miscarriage or
stillbirth, which means the actual rate of incidence overall is difficult to
quantify. The most common NTD is spina bifida, a leading cause of childhood
paralysis.
To help prevent NTDs, all women capable of having a baby (roughly ages 14 to 45)
should take a multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid every day,
beginning a minimum of three months prior to conception. Ideally, a daily
multivitamin with folic acid should be taken by men and women alike, of all
ages, as part of a healthy lifestyle. In addition, a diet containing foods
naturally rich in folate, such as leafy green vegetables, orange juice, and
beans, and enriched grain products fortified with the vitamin, is strongly
recommended.
Today's survey follows up three previous March of Dimes polls of women's
knowledge and behavior on issues related to healthy pregnancy. It was conducted
for the March of Dimes by the Gallup Organization under a grant from the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The March of Dimes survey results are based on telephone interviews with a
national sample of 2,013 women ages 18 to 45 conducted from January 13 to
February 17, 2000. For results based on samples of this size, one can say with
95 percent confidence that the error attributable to sampling and other random
effects could be plus or minus three percentage points.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to
improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality.
Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community
services, education, and advocacy to save babies' lives.
Not enough women take folic acid every day:
-- The B vitamin helps prevent birth defects of the brain and
spinal cord when taken before and in early pregnancy.
-- Only one third of women ages 18-45 take a multivitamin with
folic acid every day.
Source: 2000 March of Dimes Folic Acid Survey of 2,013 women ages 18-45,
conducted by The Gallup Organization.
Visit March of Dimes at www.marchofdimesca.org
CONTACT: March of Dimes
Carolyn LaPierre, 213/637-5058
Michele Kling, 914/997-4613
