Gateway District Health Department

Higher Health Risk for Hispanic Women Increases Need for Folic Acid Awareness

Bath, Menifee, Morgan & Rowan Counties, Kentucky -based Gateway District Health Department joins the National Council on Folic Acid (NCFA) in an effort to increase awareness among Hispanic women about the benefits of folic acid consumption during National Folic Acid Awareness Week, January 9-15, 2006.

Research indicates that consumption of folic acid in women of childbearing age is a critical preventive measure to lower the rate of neural tube defects (NTDs), serious birth defects of the brain and the spine. Folic acid is a B vitamin that is necessary for proper cell growth. Hispanic women in the United States have 1.5 to 2 times higher risk of delivering babies with NTDs than non-Hispanic whites. Reaching this audience is a priority for NCFA as part of its goal to reduce this significant health disparity.

“We have learned that Hispanic women consume the least amount of folic acid, and have the least knowledge about folic acid of any racial or ethnic group,” says Adriane K. Griffen, chair of the National Council on Folic Acid. “The National Folic Acid Awareness Week initiative, ‘Folic Acid: You Don’t Know what You’re Missing!’ encourages Hispanic women to begin taking folic acid to prevent babies born with serious birth defects like spina bifida.”

National Folic Acid Awareness Week was created to educate the public about folic acid, encouraging all women of childbearing age to take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day through consumption of a daily multivitamin and eating fortified grains as part of a healthy diet, as recommended by the U.S. Public Health Service.

“All women between the ages of 12-45 need a daily multivitamin to ensure they get enough folic acid every day. Folic acid lowers the risk of serious birth defects by 70 percent when taken prior to becoming pregnant,” states Jahnna Lane, RN Community Health Nursing Director.

Spina bifida, the most common NTD, is the leading cause of childhood paralysis and presents lifelong challenges for affected families. According to 2004 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hispanic women have the lowest reported folic acid knowledge and consumption of any racial or ethnic group, and these birth defects occur with the most frequency among Latina populations in the United States.

Research has shown that if adequate amounts of folic acid are consumed before and during early pregnancy, up to 70 percent of neural tube defects such as spina bifida can be prevented. In addition, emerging research indicates that folic acid may reduce the risks of other birth defects, such as cleft lip, cleft palate and heart defects, and may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and colon, cervical and breast cancer.

“We encourage everyone to take 400 micrograms of folic acid every day, even if they are not planning on becoming pregnant — half of the pregnancies in the United States are unplanned. The preliminary research findings are exciting, and we believe that consuming adequate amounts of folic acid can be beneficial for men and women of all ages,” says Griffen.

For more information about folic acid and National Folic Acid Awareness Week, visit the Web site of the National Council on Folic Acid, www.folicacidinfo.org.

The National Council on Folic Acid is a partnership of national organizations, associations and state folic acid councils whose mission is to improve health by promoting the benefits and consumption of folic acid. Managed by the National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition through a cooperative agreement with the CDC, NCFA reaches over 100 million people a year with the folic acid message.

Gateway District Health Department “Working Together for Healthier Communities”

Public Preparedness

During September, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the American Red Cross will urge all Americans to take some simple steps to become better prepared for emergencies including:

o Get a Kit - Get a kit of emergency supplies that will allow you and your family to survive for at least three days in the event an emergency happens. Go to www.ready.gov and www.redcross.org/preparedness or call (866) 797-KOHS for a complete list of recommended supplies.

o Make a Plan - Plan in advance what you and your family will do in an emergency. Go to www.ready.gov and www.redcross.org/preparedness or call (866) 797-KOHS for more information and templates to help get you started.

o Be Informed - Learn more about different threats that could affect your community and appropriate responses to them. Go to www.ready.gov and www.redcross.org/preparedness or call (866) 797-KOHS for more information about natural disasters and potential terrorist threats.

o Get Involved - After preparing yourself and your family for possible emergencies, take the next step: get training in first aid and emergency response and get involved in preparing your community. Visit www.citizencorps.gov or www.redcross.org/preparedness or call (866) 797-KOHS to find out about training and volunteer opportunities through your local Citizen Corps Council or American Red Cross Chapter.

Today ends National Public Health Week. The theme of this year's week is empowering aging Americans to live longer, healthier lives. For more information visit the American Public Health Association website by clicking here.

NOTE: This feature is NOT related to any effort to recruit or enlist volunteers to work in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina

The Gateway District Health Department Bioterrorism Preparedness Program is currently developing plans to respond to a wide variety of public health threats that includes bioterrorism attacks using smallpox and anthrax as well as for responding to infectious disease outbreaks, for example, bird flu and SARS. Responding effectively will require a large number of volunteers to assist in the operation of mass vaccination/treatment clinics that the health department would be responsible for operating. In order to meet this need the health department has developed a registry where interested persons can sign-up to be a volunteer. These persons would only be called upon in an emergency. If you are interested in signing up in the registry so you can be called upon to help your community during an emergency please click here.

Parents: We are pleased to be offering a program for the children of the Gateway Area free of charge to everyone that is interested. This program is for any child ages one through six and will be offered at the Child Care Sites.

Your child will be eligible for two free dental varnishing treatments within a year. This program is sponsored by the Kentucky Oral Health Program and the Gateway District Health Department. In order to receive the dental varnishing all you have to do is complete the form included in this packet (available from your childcare provider) and return it to your child's care provider.

I will schedule a day to be at your childcare site and will complete the varnishing there. This is a very exciting program and I'm sure you will feel the same way.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at the Gateway District Health Department at 606-674-6396 or email me at SharonA.Martin@ky.gov