Alison Berry, RNC, MSN

Focusing on Folic Acid Task Force Organizing to Promote Consumption of Folk Acid

recent survey of approxi- mately 2,000 women A demonstrated that only half

(50 percent) had heard of folic‘acid. Of those who knew about folic acid, half didn’t know they were supposed to be taking it every day.

Most of the women participating in the survey said that they had not taken folic acid within the past 30 days. Their reasons varied from “I didn’t know I should,” to “I get all of the vitamins that I need in the food I eat.” Ironically, another sur- vey of women and folic acid showed that some women falsely believe that folic acid intake could cause them to gain weight.

In light of the misinformation abounding about folic acid, a National Task Force on Folic Acid has been organized by a coalition of organizations committed to pro- moting the consumption of folic acid to prevent birth defects. The staff of the Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognized the need to involve as many organizations as possible in the effort to educate women about the Public Health Service recommendation that all women consume 400 mcg of folic acid daily to prevent the serious birth defects of spina bifida and anencephaly.

Last year, the CDC began discus- sions with the March of Dimes, the Spins Bifida Association of American, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College

Alison Berry, RNC, M S N , is a nurse consultant with the law firm of Long, Weinberg, Ansley & Wheeler in Atlanta, GA, and a member of the Georgia Folic Acid Task Force.

of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and, most recently, AWHONN. The idea of a task force was received with resounding enthusiasm and, within a very short time, a mission statement, goals, and strategies were drafted.

The mission of the task force is to reduce birth defects by promot- ing the consumption of folic acid. Its goal is to increase the number of

women who consume folic acid daily. Strategies for achieving this goal include increasing the number of women who understand that consuming folic acid daily can help prevent birth defects, making folic acid awareness a routine and stan- dard part of preventive health care services for women, and increasing the level and availability of folic acid in food.

Adding Folk Acid to Your Diet Consume foods rich in folates, such as dark green leafy vegetables, orange juice, dried peas, beans, and lentils. Eat enriched flour and cereals. The FDA has ruled that, effective this year, products made with enriched flour or grain products such as bread, rice, or pasta will contain additional folic acid.

D Take a folic acid-containing supplement. This is the most effective way to ensure that a woman has an adequate intake of folic acid.

Facts on Folic Acid The CDC estimates that up to 70 percent of the most common and seri- ous birth defects, spina bifida and anencephaly, could be prevented if childbearing women consumed 400 mcg of folic acid daily

W 95 percent of the incidences of spina bifida occur in women with no history of spina bifida-affected pregnancies

W In the U.S., 11 pregnancies per day are affected by spina bifida

August 1998 A W H O N N L i f e l i n e s 19

campaign in August 1997. Staff from more than 300 family plan- ning clinics throughout the state were invited

kickoff to learn more

7 0 p ~ C e ~ i t oftbe most COmmOTl d d l l d

swious birth spina b$du md to attend the campaign

of folic acid. Nurses from more than 30 counties attended the meeting in Macon, GA, which featured stimu-

Chddbeari?2g WOmefz consumed 400

mcg of folk acid daily.

The task force plans to launch a national educational campaign this fall and will hold a national meet- ing in Washington, DC in January 1999. To strengthen its message, the task force will disseminate mes- sages and materials developed by the CDC to health care profession- als, public health officials, and industry at large.

Campaign Target The campaign will target all women of reproductive age and health care professionals who pro- vide care for these women. All partners involved with the task force will be able to take the CDC’s materials and reproduce them using their own logo and name for distri- bution to their respective audi- ences. The CDC also has prepared a “Folic Acid Resource Guide” to provide user-friendly technical assistance for all groups involved in the nationwide effort.

Georgia is serving as a model state for task force efforts. Georgia got a jump-start on folic acidlspina bifida awareness and prevention last year and started their own

lating exchanges of information by such notables as Dr. Godfrey Oakley of the CDC. A number of professional and con- sumer educational items were available, including videotapes, posters, flyers, brochures, and refrigerator magnets.

Georgia Efforts The Georgia Spring Campaign, a major effort to promote folic acid awareness, started on April 25th with the March of Dimes’ “Walk America Day” and ended on May loth, Mother’s Day. Participants and spectators at Walk America Day saw the folic acid message, “A Vitamin for Life,” on t-shirts and handouts. Local volunteers staffed folic acid information tables at each of the walk sites around the state. During April and May, there were mall and shopping center community displays explaining the importance of folic acid. Professional education confer- ences were also targets,for informa- tion displays. Teleflora florists in Georgia participated in the aware- ness effort by enclosing a specially created message card with the Secretary’s Day and Mother’s Day

bouquets they delivered. Other Georgia folic acid awareness efforts included the development of a slide presentation by the Georgia Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. This slide package will be used for health care professionals. The Perinatal Task Force also target- ed folic acid and prevention of neural tube defects as a legislative initiative. The Georgia Task Force put together a “Governor’s Proclamation” and May was declared “Folic Acid Awareness Month” in the State by Governor Zell Miller.

What can nurses do to keep the momentum going? Jump on the advocacy bandwagon and organize awareness efforts within your state or community. Folic acid awareness is a ”must” for every community. Short on how-to ideas? How about working with groups and organiza- tions who promote the health of women and provide services to women, and scheduling folic acid as a meeting topic? Work with your state health departments to get the message out and find funding for the distribution of multivitamins to every woman who visits a family planning clinic. +

More Resources Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for additional folic acid resources and fact sheets ( h t t p : / / w . c d c . g ov)

Contact the Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at (770) 488-7160 or email floQcdc.gov.

4th Annual Intraparturn Nursing Practice

SUMMIT November 6-7, 1998 Washington. DC

Summitfunded innpart by an educational gmnt by CoromeMcs

Medical Systems, INC.

How many people are in the laborhirthing room? What are their roles and how do they influence the path of labor? Whose labor is it? How you answer may depend on just where you and your expectations are. Today, intrapartum practii is culturally diverse-whether it‘s the patient population of the staff mix. What happens when cultures affect practice? How do you integrate cultural differences into family centered care? Electronic fetal monitoring has been part of intraparturn practice for over 30 years. Yet data analysis has been controversial, and the value of routine EFM debated. How do you see EFM in relation to your “evidenced-based practice”? Come to the 4th Annual Intraparturn Nursing Practice Summit and discuss these and other education, practice and research issues important to you and your colleagues. Call Judy Oppenheim, (202) 261-2414 for more information on this upcoming AWHONN event.

?o A W H O N N L i f e l i n e s Volume 2, Issue 4