2008 North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign Program Accomplishments

Community Health Education
Regional coordinators train individuals across the state to be community health educators through the Community Ambassador program. These ambassadors provide trainings about folic acid and multivitamins through their own personal networks, making it a particularly effective way to reach women across the state. In 2008, the North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign’s regional coordinators trained 181 Community Ambassadors. These ambassadors then provided information about the health benefits of folic acid and multivitamins to more than 10,000 individuals. Regional coordinators also promoted folic acid to the general public as well as health care providers at over 200 conferences, professional meetings, work sites and other events. The Folic Acid Campaign places a special emphasis on reaching college-age women; in 2008 the Folic Acid Campaign provided folic acid education on 29 college campuses in North Carolina.

Health Care Provider Education
According to the 2008 Gallup Poll commissioned by the March of Dimes, health care providers are the leading source of folic acid information among all women. Unfortunately, only one-third of women ages 18-45 have discussed the benefits of folic acid with their health care provider, even though 89 percent of women who do not take multivitamins say they would be likely to do so on the recommendation of their health care provider. In order to close this gap, the Folic Acid Campaign developed a health care provider education initiative called the Office Champion program. The program provides in-office educational sessions to public and private health care providers throughout North Carolina. The providers are given tools and encouraged to talk to their female patients about taking folic acid during their childbearing years. In 2008, 100 new health care offices were trained, and approximately 372 previously trained offices were supported in their work to promote folic acid. In total, we trained and supported 472 health care practices, who will in turn reach thousands of women across the state.

Latino Campaign
In 2008, the Latino Campaign completed an evaluation of its educational campaign. The Folic Acid Campaign now has pre- and post-test data highlighting the successes and challenges of educational efforts with Hispanic women. These results show that knowledge about folic acid is improving, but more work remains to be done to get women to take their multivitamins every day. These results will be used to modify and improve the Latino Campaign for 2009. In December 2008, the Latino Campaign received official notice that its pre-test evaluation results will be published in the 2009 May /June issue of the American Journal of Health Education. The Folic Acid Campaign also provided seven cultural competency trainings to health care providers in 2008. The cultural competency curriculum uses folic acid as the framework for discussion as it teaches providers about the cultural values and health care beliefs of Hispanics. Additionally, the Latino Campaign trained 26 Community Ambassadors about folic acid and multivitamins, who then educated more than 1,500 Hispanics face-to-face.

Media and Materials
The Folic Acid Campaign continued to develop effective folic acid messages in English and Spanish for the general public using mass media. In 2008, over 2,000 advertisements, 217 direct mail pieces, 4 social networking sites, 3 news releases, 2 feature stories, and 5 radio and television interviews were used to spread the word about folic acid and multivitamins across the state. In 2008, the Folic Acid Campaign focused on using online social networking sites as a way to attract women ages 18-24. The Folic Acid Campaign now has active profiles on Myspace, Facebook, Blogger, Twitter and YouTube. Our educational videos were viewed more than 1,600 times on YouTube alone. Additionally, over 600,000 pieces of folic acid informational items (969 orders) were distributed through the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation, a Folic Acid Campaign partner. The information is free to residents of North Carolina via the Folic Acid Campaign’s Web site, www.getfolic.com.

Evaluation
The Folic Acid Campaign has continued its work of evaluating our programs and will use this information to effectively target programs, media activities and outreach. An evaluation of the Office Champion program, our health care provider education program, was completed, analyzed and presented at the national annual meeting of the American Public Health Association. An evaluation of the Community Ambassador program was launched in 2008. Surveys will be distributed to more than 500 recipients of this educational program to measure their behavioral intentions about multivitamins as well as the effectiveness of the training program. And finally, the Campaign implemented a pilot vitamin distribution program in conjunction with a research study beginning in July of 2008 to determine whether women who are given a bottle of free vitamins and education about their importance at a local health department will purchase more if given the opportunity. We are also studying their vitamin-taking behavior over a 6-8 month period. This pilot study is being implemented at the Pitt County Health Department. Results will be available in the fall of 2009.

Awards and Presentations
In February 2008, the National Birth Defects Prevention Network awarded the Latino component of the Folic Acid Campaign its National Birth Defects Education and Prevention Award. In addition, one staff member and one member of the Folic Acid Campaign’s Executive Committee presented about the Campaign at the First Central and Eastern European Summit on Preconception Health and Prevention of Birth Defects held in Budapest, Hungary. In total, the Folic Acid Campaign staff presented at 13 prestigious national and statewide academic conferences.

North Carolina Folic Acid Council Partners:
March of Dimes Foundation
North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation
North Carolina Birth Defects Monitoring Program
Fullerton Genetics Center at Mission Hospitals
Division of Public Health, North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services
UNC Center for Maternal and Infant Health
Crittenden Advertising
North Carolina State Center for Health Statistics
National Council on Folic Acid National
Birth Defects Prevention Network

In recognition of National Folic Acid Awareness Week the North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign (NCFAC) launched a completely redesigned website, www.getfolic.com.

The site covers more than just folic acid; it also includes information about multivitamins and women's health. Folic acid is a part of a healthy lifestyle and research shows that up to 70 percent of birth defects of the brain and spine could be prevented if all women took folic acid before pregnancy.

With the help of Crittenden Advertising and Design Nation, we created a comprehensive and easy-to-use resource for women's health and wellness in North Carolina. The Campaign plans to launch the Spanish-language portion of the website in April.

"The Folic Acid Campaign's website now offers women complete information about folic acid, multivitamins and their overall health," said Amy Mullenix, statewide coordinator for the Campaign. "We want women in North Carolina to use this as a tool to stay in good health."

The site also features a section for health care providers and other health professionals, which includes current recommendations, free materials and an impressive list of scientific journal articles. According to a March of Dimes Gallup poll, almost 90 percent of women say they'd take multivitamins at their doctor's recommendation.

To find out more about the Campaign visit www.getfolic.com, or contact Megan Fazekas at 919-7424-2151 or by e-mail at mfazekas@marchofdimes.com. Membership in our Council is free. Sign up and stay informed about Campaign activities.

See what we've been up to! The Fall issue of the NC Folic Acid Campaign's newsletter is now available.

We have a lot of great information to share with you, including results from two of our recent program surveys. We'll also spotlight a physical therapist who has recently joined our Council, as well as Executive Committee members who traveled to Budapest, Hungary to present on our Campaign! And, as always, we like to keep you up-to-date with the most important folic acid news so you can stay current on the science.

If you would like to receive these by mail in the future, please join our Council at http://getfolic.com/contact/join.html.

Read the newsletter here: http://www.marchofdimes.com/files/Newsletter_Fall_2008-Final_for_Web.pdf

Thanks,
Megan Fazekas
Communications Coordinator

North Carolina Folic Acid Council and the March of Dimes Celebrate Spina Bifida Awareness Month

New Support Group Forms in Raleigh

Raleigh, N.C. (October 2, 2008) -- One in every 1,970 babies in North Carolina is born with spina bifida, a severe birth defect of the brain and spine. The North Carolina Folic Acid Council and the March of Dimes are recognizing October as Spina Bifida Awareness Month by highlighting the occurrence of the birth defect and offering recommendations to decrease the chances of developing spina bifida. Current recommendations advise every woman of child bearing age--even those who are not planning a pregnancy--to take a multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid every day,

Spina bifida occurs when the spine of a baby fails to close properly. It occurs during the first month of pregnancy before a woman knows she is pregnant. Spina bifida may lead to paralysis or other disabling problems. An estimated 70,000 to 130,000 people in this country currently live with spina bifida, the most common permanently disabling birth defect in the United States.

"Spina Bifida Awareness Month helps us educate the public and increase understanding of what it's like to live with spina bifida and how to prevent it," says Amy Mullenix, MSW, MSPH, Statewide Coordinator for the North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign. "It's essential that people are aware that spina bifida affects a startling number of people in the United States and that 50 to 70% of cases could be prevented with adequate folic acid intake before pregnancy."

Spina bifida is not one condition; it is a multitude of problems that affect the mind, body and spirit. Advancements in treatment and prevention, however, have opened new doors for those with spina bifida. While it presents unique challenges, those affected by spina bifida are able to attend school, work, raise a family, and spend time with friends just like everyone else.

The root cause of spina bifida is unknown and the effects for each person are different. Hispanics have an abnormally high rate of occurrence. In North Carolina, Latina/Hispanic women are twice as likely to have a baby born with a neural tube defect (NTD), than any other race or ethnicity.

In the Triangle area, a new support group has formed to help parents of children in with spina bifida. A new member of the Folic Acid Council, Anna Romanosky, DPT, is a pediatric physical therapist at Raleigh Neurology Associates, P.A. and she started the support group after realizing that there are not a lot of resources available for these families.

Romanosky and her partner, Nazaly Miller, PT, currently treat six children with spina bifida at their practice. Many families they work with are middle-income so they don't qualify for subsidies or state programs.

"I just started networking, and talking to anyone I could. It seemed that a lot of people were waiting for something like this to happen," Romanosky said.

Romanosky decided to start a support group for these families, and so far the effort has paid off. The first meeting was held on September 4 and seven families attended. "It went really well. It was amazing to see the parents interact," Romanosky said.

The group decided that it would focus ..ing a free equipment exchange so that parents can swap out expensive equipment, since children with spina bifida often need numerous pieces of equipment that they grow out of quickly. They will also focus on providing support to pregnant women whose babies have been diagnosed with spina bifida in utero, as well as advocating for more services and resources to those with spina bifida.

The support group will also encourage prevention since more than half of spina bifida cases could be prevented if every woman of child bearing age was to take a multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid every day before pregnancy. The North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign is providing the support group with free materials and information that they can use at health fairs and other events.

The next support group meeting is scheduled for Oct. 16 in Raleigh. All families who have a child with spina bifida are encouraged to attend. For information about the meeting or to start a support group in your area, please contact Anna Romanosky, DPT, at 919-420-1682 or at aromanosky@raleighneurology.com.

To find out more about how you can become a member of the Folic Acid Council, contact Megan Fazekas at 919-781-2481 or by e-mail at mfazekas@marchofdimes.com. For more information about the NC Folic Acid Campaign, or to order free materials, visit www.getfolic.com.

We have a new blog about the NC Folic Acid Campaign. This is a conversational blog that keeps you updated about what we do as a part of our work. Visit it today and please leave a comment!

Thanks!

http://getfolic.blogspot.com/

The North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign is seeking women for a short discussion. The purpose of the discussion group is to gather information about a new brochure we are developing. If you are between the ages of 25-35, we would love your input and participation!

Interested participants will be prescreened though a short survey to determine if they are qualified. Qualified participants will receive food and drinks during the 2-hour discussion, and a $20 Target gift card for their time. All information will be kept confidential.

The focus group will be held at Urban Ministries in Raleigh on
July 23, 2008 from 5:30pm – 8:30pm. Please e-mail or call 919-781-2481 to see if you qualify.

If you are a woman between the ages of 25 and 35, contact us today to become a part of a dynamic discussion group!

See what we've been up to! The Spring issue of the NC Folic Acid Campaign's newsletter is now available. In it you'll find stories about our work on Fort Bragg, newly released data on neural tube defects in NC, and a lot of great new research.

Because I can't attach PDFs to myspace, please visit http://www.marchofdimes.com/northcarolina/5295_25873.asp to download a PDF. If you would like to receive these in the future, please join our Council at http://www.getfolic.com/contact/join.html.

Please do not hesitate to message me to order a copy.