“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” That old adage is quite true when it comes to reducing brain and spinal birth defects. Today, the Arizona Department of Health Services launched an awareness campaign to stress the importance of preventing those birth defects by taking a multivitamin. In Arizona, more than 50 babies are born with brain and spine birth defects each year. Future mothers can prevent up to 70% of these cases and greatly increase the likelihood of having a healthy newborn simply by consuming 400 mcg of folic acid daily.

“Taking a multivitamin should be part of everyone’s daily routine, like brushing their teeth, especially for women in their reproductive years,” said Jeanette Shea-Ramirez, Assistant Director for Public Health Prevention. “It is so simple to do, and the benefits can be life changing for a newborn.”

Brain and spine birth defects not only have a tremendous effect on families, they also impact the healthcare system. The annual medical costs to treat a child with these types of birth defects are about $294,000 per child.

“Women in high risk categories need to be extra vigilant and do everything possible to take the recommended amount of folic acid, in case they decide to be mothers some day,” said January Contreras, ADHS Acting Director. “A simple multivitamin with 400 micrograms will do the trick.” Infants most at risk for brain and spinal birth defects are those whose mothers fall into certain risk groups: being obese, having diabetes, coming from a lower socio-economic background, taking anti-seizure medication, having Latina/Hispanic ancestry, or having high fevers early in pregnancy.

The campaign consists of two bilingual public service announcements, an informational brochure, and a bilingual educational website. The website, www.takemultivitamins.com, invites community organizations and institutions to participate in this initiative by placing the informational components of the campaign in areas where 15 – 25 year olds can see them. All materials are free of charge.

This campaign is a collaboration between several programs at the Arizona Department of Health Services and the March of Dimes.