7/1/2014

March of Dimes Hails Folic Acid Legislation Boston, MA, July 01, 2014 — The March of Dimes Massachusetts Chapter praised policymakers today as Governor Deval Patrick signed into law H 4228, a bill to increase public education and awareness on the importance of folic acid in preventing birth defects. “The March of Dimes commends both Governor Patrick and our State Legislature for taking steps to prevent birth defects among Massachusetts babies,” said March of Dimes State Director Ed Doherty. “We are especially grateful to original bill sponsor Representative Aaron Vega, who worked tirelessly to help ensure that birth defects are prevented through education,” Doherty added. “As the Governor signs this bill into law, the March of Dimes pledges to continue working with our state policymakers to ensure that every pregnancy and every baby is healthy.” Time and again, the March of Dimes has found that most women of child-bearing age in our state do not know about the benefits of folic acid in preventing birth defects. Although 84 percent have heard of folic acid, only 39 percent take a daily vitamin containing it. Only 20 percent know that folic acid prevents birth defects, and only 11 percent know it should be taken before pregnancy. This legislation will help us remedy that problem and prevent birth defects. " “It is critical that we work to raise awareness about the importance of consuming folic acid and address health disparities. This is particularly important for Hispanic women, who are approximately 20% more likely to have a child with a neural tube defect,” said Representative Aaron Vega (D-Holyoke), original sponsor of the legislation. Studies have shown that if women consume sufficient folic acid before and during early pregnancy, up to 70% of neural tube defects can be prevented. Neural tube defects are serious birth defects of the brain and spinal cord, such as spina bifida. Data from the 2009/2010 Massachusetts Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System indicate that only 38 percent of mothers reported taking multivitamins every day of the week in the month before becoming pregnant, and 49 percent reported never taking them during that time. In addition, the report found that Black non-Hispanics, those with a high school education, Hispanics, those living at or below 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Line, or those under age 20 were the least likely to take multivitamins every day. The legislation takes on added significance in the health care community by being added to a bill setting staffing levels for ICU units to one patient to one nurse ratio. The agreement on that legislative language in H4228 led the Massachusetts Nurses Association to withdraw two ballot questions on safe staffing levels from the November ballot. In addition, the new law codifies current folic acid efforts at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH). State educational efforts will be required to recommend that women of childbearing age consume 400 micrograms of folic acid daily and pregnant women consume 600 micrograms of folic acid daily to prevent neural tube defects. The legislation also ensures that DPH consults with public and not-for-profit statewide maternal and child health care organizations to promote folic acid awareness. 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 by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality. For the latest resources and information, visit marchofdimes.com or nacersano.org. Find us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.