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.

The North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign was honored with an award at the National Birth Defects Prevention Network Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C on February 13. The Latino Education Campaign, spearheaded by Leslie deRosset, MPH, won the 2007 Birth Defects Education and Prevention Award.

"This award would have not been possible without the dedication of staff, volunteers and partnering agencies. I especially want to thank our Community Ambassadors who have worked so hard to make this program successful," said deRosset, Latino Campaign coordinator.

This award is given annually to a program to honor their efforts at raising public awareness of birth defects through innovative and collaborative projects.

The North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign started the Latino Education component because Latinas are twice as likely to have a baby born with a neural tube defect than other racial/ethnic populations. Latinas are also less likely to receive early prenatal care and they have additional barriers to care, such as lack of health insurance and language barriers.

To address this issue, the Campaign created a comprehensive and multifaceted program to reach Spanish-speaking women in North Carolina. The Latino Education Campaign uses a lay health education model, called the Community Ambassador Program; a specialized health care provider education component, which targets those that work primarily with Latinos; and media advertising, which uses culturally-relevant messages to convey the importance of taking multivitamins with folic acid.

In 2007 deRosset trained 229 new Community Ambassadors, who in turn reached 3,000 Spanish-speaking women through one-on-one or small group education. The Campaign also  collaborated with 15 community-based organizations and conducted 30 health care provider trainings.

The Latino Education Campaign also won an award for "Best Community-Based Research" at Women's Health Research Day at UNC-Chapel Hill in April 2007. In addition, deRosset presented to more than 700 health care providers at three locations in Mexico about neural tube defects, folic acid and the Latino Education Campaign in July and August 2007.

The North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign, a collaboration between the North Carolina Folic Acid Council and the March of Dimes, uses innovative initiatives to educate women about the benefits of folic acid and the birth defects it helps to prevent. To find out more about the Campaign visit www.getfolic.com, or contact Megan Fazekas at 919-781-2481 or by e-mail at mfazekas@marchofdimes.com.

Think you are getting all of the vitamins you need from your diet alone? Think again. Most people don't know that it is hard to get certain vitamins from food alone. They think they don't need to take multivitamins because they eat healthy foods. Multivitamins help fill in those nutrition gaps in the diet, especially when it comes to getting enough folic acid.

Folic acid is an essential B vitamin; therefore, everyone needs it in order to stay in good health. Folic acid helps build DNA and your body uses it for cell growth and reproduction, fundamental building block processing and genetic material production. Folic acid is water soluble, therefore it passes through your body very quickly. Taking folic acid every day ensures that you always have it in your system.

Other than being needed to create and regenerate cells in your body, it also has protective effects. Studies show that folic acid reduces the risk of certain cancers; cardiovascular diseases including coronary heart disease and stroke; and cognitive diseases or mental conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, age-related dementia or cognitive decline and depression.

For women in their childbearing years, it is particularly important to consume 400 mcg of folic acid daily. It has been shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) in developing babies by up to 70 percent. Since 50 percent of pregnancies are unplanned, it's important to take folic acid every day even if you're not planning to get pregnant. Neural tube defects are birth defects of the brain and spine. The most common are spina bifida and anencephaly. In North Carolina there is one child born with an NTD for every 1,160 live births, according to the State Center for Health Statistics' Birth Defects Monitoring Program.

The North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign works to educate consumers and health care providers about the benefits and uses of folic acid. In the Cape Fear region of the state, LaToya Artis coordinates those efforts.

"My role is to make sure the message is being spread consistently and thoroughly," Artis explains. "I offer educational trainings to women, I attend conferences and health fairs, and I educate health care providers about the importance of recommending folic acid to their female patients."

Artis runs the local Community Ambassador program, a grassroots health education program in which people are trained to carry on the folic acid message within their community.

"Since I can't educate everyone myself, the Campaign has come up with a way to reach as many people as possible," said Artis. "Trained Community Ambassadors reach an additional 7-10 community groups each. Those groups include local civic groups, churches, teen groups, student groups, work sites, moms groups, parenting classes, preschool classes, house parties and beauty salons. The program is open to everyone, not just women."

Folic acid is the synthetic form of the naturally occurring folate. Folate is found in foods such as leafy green vegetables, beans, liver and some fruit. The synthetic version, folic acid, is found in multivitamins and fortified foods like breakfast cereal, pasta and bread. Scientists don't know exactly why, but folic acid is easier for your body to absorb than folate. Plus folate loses its potency easily and is hard to get in large amounts.

In 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration started fortifying grain and cereal products with folic acid in order to reduce neural tube defects. While this was a great step in the fight to prevent birth defects, it is not enough to protect all women and their potential children. You would have to eat one loaf of bread every day in order to get the recommended amount of folic acid from food alone.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Public Health Service recommend that all women of childbearing age take 400 mcg of folic acid every day. The best and most reliable way to get that amount is to take a multivitamin, B vitamin complex pill or folic acid pill.

The North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign recommends taking a multivitamin so that you can be sure to get consistent amounts of other vitamins and minerals like A, C, B6, E, Iron and Calcium. The Campaign also suggests eating a healthy diet and exercising in addition to taking a multivitamin every day.

People who are interested in joining the effort should contact Megan Fazekas at 919-781-2481 or by e-mail at mfazekas@marchofdimes.com. For more information about the North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign or folic acid visit www.getfolic.com or call 1-800-367-2229.

Babies have a healthier start in life thanks to efforts led by the NC Folic Acid Council and the March of Dimes

RALEIGH, N.C. – Over the past ten years there has been a significant decline in the rate of spina bifida in North Carolina. In observance of National Folic Acid Awareness Week, January 7-13, the North Carolina Folic Acid Council (NCFAC) and the March of Dimes would like to recognize the work North Carolina has done to reduce the number of babies born with this serious birth defect.

"We're seeing progress in the fight to eliminate neural tube defects like spina bifida thanks to folic acid fortification and an intense public health campaign to increase folic acid consumption through multivitamins," said Amy Mullenix, MSW, MSPH, Statewide Campaign Coordinator. "Yet, there are still too many babies born with spina bifida and we want to make sure every woman of childbearing age gets the message that she should be taking a multivitamin every day, just in case."

In North Carolina there is one child born with a neural tube defect (NTD) for every 1,160 live births, according to the State Center for Health Statistics' Birth Defects Monitoring Program. Provisional data from the Birth Defects Monitoring Program show that the rate of NTDs declined approximately 40 percent between 1995 and 2005. Spina bifida rates dropped by an estimated 45 percent during that same time span. In Western North Carolina, where the Folic Acid Campaign has been active the longest, NTDs have decreased by more than 80 percent.

Spina bifida is a defect of the central nervous system and is the most common NTD. The neural tube is an embryonic structure that grows into the brain and spine. The defect occurs when the neural tube fails to close properly, around or before the 28th day of pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant. Spina bifida can range from mild to severe. Infants who survivethis birth defect often spend their lives in wheelchairs, unable to move their lower extremities, or to control their bowels or bladder.

Research shows that 50–70 percent of neural tube defects are preventable with adequate folic acid intake before pregnancy. The U.S. Public Health Service recommends all women of childbearing age take 400mcg of folic acid daily. Nearly all brand-name and generic multivitamins contain the recommended amount.

The North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign, a collaboration between the North Carolina Folic Acid Council and the March of Dimes, uses innovative initiatives to educate women about the benefits of folic acid and the birth defects it helps to prevent. Through the Office Champion Program, which educates health care providers; the Community Ambassador Program, a lay health education program; and a multi-faceted media campaign in English and Spanish, the campaign spreads its message throughout the entire state.

To find out more about how you can become a community ambassador or office champion, contact Megan Fazekas at 919-781-2481 or by e-mail at mfazekas@marchofdimes.com. For more information about the NC Folic Acid Campaign, visit www.getfolic.com.

About the North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign
The North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign is a statewide program whose mission is to improve health by promoting the benefits and consumption of folic acid by taking a daily multivitamin. Established in 1994, the program advocates that all women of child bearing age take 400 mcg of folic acid daily to help prevent neural tube defects (NTDs). Through its collaboration and partnership, the March of Dimes and the North Carolina Folic Acid Council have made significant progress in the campaign to reduce NTDs. To learn more, visit www.getfolic.com and www.marchofdimes.com.

About the March of Dimes
The March of Dimes is the leading nonprofit organization for pregnancy and baby health. With chapters nationwide and its premier event, March for Babies, the March of Dimes works to improve the health of babies. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org.

Multivitamins make great stocking stuffers. They're the perfect size to fit in a stocking, inexpensive and something everyone needs! Fruit and healthy snacks like granola also make great stuffers. Why fill up your family's stockings with junk food and candy when you know there is plenty of it going around already? With holiday parties, school celebrations and big family dinners, candy and unhealthy food abounds. Buy some multivitamins to be sure that your loved ones stay healthy through the holiday season and beyond.

Here are some tips for buying multivitamins:

• Read the label. Look for products with no more than 100% Daily Value (DV) for the nutrients list. Be sure it has 400 mcg of folic acid. Don't expect it to have a lot of calcium as it would make the pill too big to swallow.
• Check the percentage and avoid high doses. Some vitamins and minerals are toxic at high doses. They can build up over time and you may not notice a problem right away. Also, some can cause problems in your future children.
• Look for USP on the label. This means that your pills have the exact amount of nutrients the label says they have.
• Store brands and generics can be as good as name brands. Read the label to compare if you are not sure.
• Avoid the extras. Some vitamins have herbs, enzymes or amino acids in them. These add unneeded cost. If you have questions about herbs, talk to your health care provider.
• Check the use by or expiration date. Food should be fresh and so should your vitamins.

There's been a lot of debate lately over whether or not the amount of folic acid in fortified foods or multivitamins is safe. Rest assured that it is. Folic acid is an essential vitamin; therefore, everyone needs it in order to stay in good health. Folic acid helps build DNA and your body requires folic acid for cell growth and reproduction, fundamental building block processing and genetic material production.

For women in their childbearing years, it is particularly important to get enough folic acid. Folic acid has been shown to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in developing fetuses by up to 70 percent! Additional research also shows it may play a role in preventing cleft lip and heart defects. Since 50 percent of pregnancies are unplanned, it's better to be safe than sorry.

Many women wonder why they can't get enough of the recommended amount from food alone, here's why…

• Folate, the folic acid form found in foods, is not absorbed and used by your body as well as the folic acid present in multivitamins. Roughly 50 percent of folate is available to the body

• Although folate is found in many foods, it's hard to get from food alone, even if you eat healthy everyday.

• Folate found in foods is extremely sensitive; cooking and storage often destroys the folate content in foods

• You would have to drink 17 glasses of orange juice per day to get the recommended amount. All that sugar and acid would be bad for you.

• You would have to eat 14 cups of broccoli per day to get the recommended amount. That's a lot of broccoli!

In 1998, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration started fortifying grain and cereal products with folic acid in order to reduce neural tube defects. While this was a great step in the fight to prevent birth defects, it is not enough to protect all women and their potential children.

It is important to check the label on the food package to see how much folic acid it contains. Also, look for words like "enriched" or "fortified."

Here's why it's hard to get enough folic acid from fortified foods alone:

• You'd have to eat one loaf of bread per day to get 400 mcg of folic acid

• You'd have to eat one bowl of cereal that contains 100% folic acid everyday, and you'd have to drink the milk.

Although, we always recommend a healthful diet including folic acid and folate-rich foods, you would have to be super vigilant in order to get what you needed from food alone. The best way to get your 400 mcg of folic acid every day is from a supplement, like a multivitamin, B vitamin complex pill or folic acid pill.

Here is a short list of foods that contain folic acid and/or folate:

..> ..> ..>..>

Grains
Excellent	Very Good	Good
Fortified cereals	Oatmeal	Enriched pasta
	Some cereal/nutritional bars	Fortified bread
		Some cereal/nutritional bars

..> ..> ..>..>

Vegetables
Excellent	Very Good	Good
Chick peas/Garbanzo beans	Asparagus	Beets
Lentils	Baked beans	Broccoli
Black beans	Black-eyed peas	Brussels sprouts
Pinto beans	Refried beans	Canned corn
Red kidney beans	Spinach	Collard greens
	Romaine lettuce	Turnip greens
	Lima beans

..> ..> ..>..>

Fruit
Excellent	Very Good	Good
		Avocado
		Orange juice

..> ..> ..>..>

Meat and beans
Excellent	Very Good	Good
Chicken and beef liver	Black-eyed peas	Peanuts
Chickpeas/garbanzo beans	Lima beans	Sunflower seeds
Lentils
Black beans
Pinto beans
Red kidney beans

Hosted By: Folic Acid
When: Monday Jan 07, 2008
at 12:00 AM
Where: Nationwide
Raleigh, NC 27612
United States
Description:
Folic Acid

Click Here To View Event

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

RALEIGH, N.C. – Over the past ten years there has been a significant decline in the rates of spina bifida in North Carolina. In observance of Spina Bifida Awareness Month, the North Carolina Folic Acid Council (NCFAC) and the March of Dimes would like to recognize the work North Carolina has done to reduce the number of babies born with this serious birth defect.

"Thanks to folic acid fortification and an intense public health campaign to increase folic acid consumption through multivitamins, we're seeing progress in the fight to eliminate neural tube defects like spina bifida," said Amy Mullenix, MSW, MSPH, Statewide Campaign Coordinator. "Yet, there are still too many babies born with spina bifida and we want to make sure every woman of childbearing age gets the message that she should be taking a multivitamin every day, just in case."

In North Carolina there is one child born with a neural tube defect (NTD) for every 1,160 live births, according to the State Center for Health Statistics' Birth Defects Monitoring Program. Provisional data from the Birth Defects Monitoring Program show that the rate of NTDs declined approximately 40 percent between 1995 and 2005. Spina bifida rates dropped by an estimated 45 percent during that same time span. In Western North Carolina, where the Folic Acid Campaign has been active the longest, NTDs have decreased by more than 80 percent.

Spina bifida is a defect of the central nervous system and is the most common NTD. The neural tube is an embryonic structure that grows into the brain and spine. The defect occurs when the neural tube fails to close properly, around or before the 28^th day of pregnancy, before most women know they are pregnant. Spina bifida can range from mild to severe. Infants who survive this birth defect often spend their lives in wheelchairs, unable to move their lower extremities, or to control their bowels or bladder. Although many individuals with spina bifida go on to lead productive lives.

Research shows that 50–70% of neural tube defects are preventable with adequate folic acid intake before pregnancy. The US Public Health Service recommends all women of childbearing age take 400 mcg of folic acid daily. Nearly all brand-name and generic multivitamins contain the recommended amount.

The North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign, a collaboration between the North Carolina Folic Acid Council and the March of Dimes, uses innovative initiatives to educate women about the benefits of folic acid and the birth defects it helps to prevent. Through the Office Champion Program, which educates health care providers; the Community Ambassador Program, a lay health education program; and a multi-faceted media campaign in English and Spanish, the campaign spreads its message throughout the entire state.

To find out more about how you can become a community ambassador or office champion, contact Megan Fazekas at 919-781-2481 or by e-mail at mfazekas@marchofdimes.com. For more information about the NC Folic Acid Campaign, visit www.getfolic.com.

About the North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign

The North Carolina Folic Acid Campaign is a statewide program whose mission is to improve health by promoting the benefits and consumption of folic acid by taking a daily multivitamin. Established in 1994, the program advocates that all women of child bearing age take 400 mcg of folic acid daily to help prevent neural tube defects (NTDs). Through its collaboration and partnership, the March of Dimes and the North Carolina Folic Acid Council have made significant progress in the campaign to reduce NTDs. To learn more, visit www.getfolic.com and www.marchofdimes.com.

About the March of Dimes

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies and in 2003 launched a campaign to address the increasing rate of premature birth. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at nacersano.org.