eInsights - January 2011
SBA Celebrates Birth Defects Prevention Month and Folic Acid Awareness Week by Increasing Education Efforts
As we begin a new year, we set new goals and make resolutions to improve our health and our lifestyles. If you are a woman of childbearing age, now is the perfect time to resolve to begin taking folic acid every day as one of the ways to lower the risk for a pregnancy affected by a neural tube defect. This month the Spina Bifida Association (SBA) highlights Birth Defects Prevention Month and Folic Acid Awareness Week (January 2 – 8) through outreach programs designed to let more Americans know about the importance of folic acid.
Through an outreach campaign to health and mom bloggers as well as promotional mailings to national sororities, SBA is working hard to inform women of all ages about the benefits of the B-vitamin, folic acid. SBA is also working with a longtime partner, VitaPath Genetics, to promote its iTunes folic acid tracker application, VitaTrack Folate Tracker, which can help a woman evaluate the amount of folic acid she’s getting in her diet.
What is folic acid and why do women of childbearing age need it?
- Folic acid is a B-vitamin that research has shown may reduce the occurrence of birth defects like Spina Bifida by up to 70%.
- Doctors advise women of childbearing age to take 400 mcg of folic acid daily - the amount found in a daily multi-vitamin that you can purchase at your local grocery store!
- Women with a family history of neural tube defects like Spina Bifida may receive a prescription from their doctor for a higher dose of folic acid. Women should speak with their health care providers about this important topic.
How has SBA stepped up its efforts to make more women aware?
Through blogs and our own Facebook page, SBA added a twist to its January folic acid campaign message by informing women about the free VitaTrack Folate Tracker app available on iTunes which is compatible with iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch. The campaign reached out to more than 60 influential blogs dedicated to women’s health, moms’ issues, general health, and Spina Bifida.
What is the VitaTrack Folate Tracker application?
The app is an easy way for a woman to give her baby the best possible start by consuming and tracking the required amount of folic acid prior to and during pregnancy. Customer reviews have been extremely positive and, as of the first week of January, iTunes has had more than 4,000 downloads of the app.
The idea is to make women aware that there is a simple tool that they can use to help them keep track of their daily intake of folic acid. ”My husband and I have been trying to get pregnant again. I have been on folic acid vitamins so this app will be helpful,” says Jennifer Novak, SBA Facebook.
Some benefits and features of the app:
- Provides an easy way to enter the food and vitamins a woman consumes by simply selecting menu items and portion size
- Helps ensure that a woman gets enough folic acid for her baby's health and development
- Offers easy-to-read graphs tell if a woman is meeting the Recommended Dietary Allowance for folic acid
- Allows a woman to email weekly reports to her doctor
What is the Dollar for Download challenge program?
During January’s Birth Defects Prevention Month, VitaPath Genetics, the creator of VitaTrack Folate Tracker, is announcing a Dollar for Download challenge program. VitaPath Genetics will make a $1.00 donation to SBA for each download and registration of the app in the U.S. during the month of January 2011. Even more reason to get out there, share, and download!
To get learn more or download today simply visit:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vitatrack/id364355699?mt=8#
Promoting folic acid to national sororities
Over 4 million women in the U.S. are either active or alumnae members of sororities. This year, as part of its campaign to raise awareness about the importance of folic acid in preventing neural tube defects like Spina Bifida, SBA conducted outreach to each of these groups. SBA hopes that by reaching out to these young women, daily folic acid intake can become as routine as brushing one’s teeth.
National Birth Defects Prevention Month
Every year the National Birth Defects and Prevention Network (NBDPN) marks this month as a time to educate healthcare professionals and the public about birth defects. For 2011, the NBDPN’s theme is Medication Use Before, During, and After Pregnancy. Materials for Birth Defects Prevention Month 2011 are available for download.
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