Press Release

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September 30, 2003

Folic acid shares top billing with Hollywood movie stars starting October 1 in several Contra Costa moviehouses.

Ads that say folic acid is good for everyone's health will run in the Century 16 theaters in Richmond and in the Brenden theaters in Concord and Pittsburg. The ads are sponsored by Contra Costa Health Services (CCHS) and the March of Dimes.

"Folic acid is essential to pregnant women, as it can lower their risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect (NTD, or birth defect of the brain and spine) by 50-70 percent. But folic acid is also good for everyone because it may lower one's risk of heart disease, cervical cancer and colon cancer," says Dawn Dailey, CCHS Public Health Nurse Manager.

Dailey says women and men aged 14 years and older need 400 micrograms of folic acid every day. Although folic acid is found in foods such as fortified cereals and grains, asparagus, broccoli, beans and lentils, soy products and dark green leafy vegetables like spinach, not everyone gets enough in their diet. This is why Dailey recommends that women and men take a multivitamin containing folic acid as a part of a healthy diet.

Dailey says that the county-sponsored cable station, Contra Costa Television (CCTV), will also be airing the folic acid ads, in English and in Spanish, during the months of October and November. CCTV is available throughout the county; check local cable listings for the CCTV channel in your area.

For more information about folic acid, call Dawn Dailey at 925-313-6325, or the March of Dimes at 1-888-MODIMES. (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.)

Or go to the CCHS folic acid web page to learn about folic acid."

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