Folic Acid Awareness Week

[Guest guest]

I was working on my thesis and passed through the SBA website and noticed

that Jan 7-14 is the National Folic Acid Awareness Week. Just thought I

would give it a mention.

There was a Public Health Grand Rounds Conference I listened to a few years

ago that was about NTDs/Folic Acid, etc and one thing they discussed was the

role of people with living with NTDs -- basically getting the message out

there to everyone they know about folic acid and trying to spread the

message about the importance of taking folic acid everyday. 50% of

pregnancies in the US are unintended. So, if women are not taking folic

acid every day, by the time she find out she's pregnant, its too late to

start taking folic acid for NTD prevention. 80% of unintended pregnancies

occur in the college age population (not necessarily students enrolled in

college, but that age range). Trying to convince that population to plan for

a pregnancy they don't think is going to happen is a big hurdle. I am a

product of just that population and scenario.

Not that folic acid will prevent all NTDs, but it will prevent about 50-70%

(the folic acid-preventable ones).

At least where I live, despite having the CDC in my backyard, nothing has

been (and likely will be) said about this on the news or anything. Has this

been publicized in anyone else's areas?

Take care and I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and new year!

Jenn