October 31, 2002

March of Dimes Supports NDSU Extension Folic Acid Education Effort

The North Dakota Chapter of March of Dimes recently granted $15,000 to the North Dakota State University Extension Service to conduct a statewide educational campaign to promote consumption of the B vitamin folic acid by women of childbearing age.

If women of childbearing age consume 400 mcg. of folic acid daily before and during early pregnancy, it may help reduce their baby’s risk for birth defects of the brain and spine, also known as neural tube defects (NTDs) by up to 70 percent.

Folic acid is a B vitamin available in supplements and in diets with foods such as fortified breakfast cereals, enriched grain products, leafy green vegetables, oranges and orange juice, and peanuts.

The educational campaign will target North Dakota women of childbearing age with messages designed to increase their awareness of the importance of folic acid in preventing NTDs. Based on a pilot study conducted on three college campuses (North Dakota State University, Concordia College and Minnesota State University – Moorehead, the effort will include a media campaign and promotional activities.

Each year in the United States, 2,500 to 3,000 infants are born with NTDs. The Health and Human Services National health guidelines, known as Healthy People 2010, include a goal to reduce the number of new NTD cases to three per 10,000 live births in the United States. According to North Dakota birth certificates, 17 children were born with spina bifida/meningocele between 1994 and 1998. That was 5 cases per 10,000 live births, (North Dakota Department of Health).

“With educators in every county, the Extension Service is in a unique position to implement this project,” says Julie Garden-Robinson, NDSU extension food and nutrition specialist and member of the North Dakota Folic Acid Task Force. She will coordinate the campaign. “Our educators in the Family Nutrition Program, who regularly collaborate with WIC and other agencies, will help us reach women with limited resources,” she says.

The March of Dimes is completing a four-year national campaign to increase awareness about folic acid use and increase the number of women taking a multivitamin containing folic acid or a folic acid supplement every day. “March of Dimes is delighted that the NDSU Extension Service will provide leadership for continuing the educational campaign and for the convening the North Dakota Folic Acid Task Force,” says Jill Leppert, Chair of the North Dakota Chapter of March of Dimes Program Services Committee.  “By awarding a grant to the continuation of this effort, March of Dimes wants to ensure that the efforts of numerous volunteers throughout North Dakota continue to make a healthy and positive difference for babies and their families.”

The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at www.marchofdimes.com, its Spanish Web site at www.nacearsano.org or call 1-888-MODIMES. For more information on the annual March of Dimes WalkAmerica, visit the Web site at www.walkamerica.org.

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Source:  Julie Garden-Robinson, (701) 231-7187, jgardenr@ndsuext.nodak.edu
Editor:  Tom Jirik, (701) 231-9629, tjirik@ndsuext.nodak.edu