FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Christine Rogers
(919) 256-9593
The North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation debuts interactive guide for pregnant women
(Raleigh, NC) – The N.C. Healthy Start Foundation is taking steps to ensure all new and expecting mothers have an opportunity to learn about ways to keep their baby and themselves healthy. Understanding that low literacy often equates to poor health outcomes, the Foundation modified a 61-page pregnancy resource guide into an interactive "talking book." The new interactive Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby pregnancy resource guide is equipped with audio narration and easy navigation tools for simple access and readability. The publication is part of a long-standing collaboration between the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (Division of Public Health) and the N.C. Healthy Start Foundation.
Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby, which is available through local health department clinics in both English and Spanish, offers information on a variety of topics including prenatal care, maternity rights, nutrition and exercise. The pregnancy guide serves as a step by step handbook for expectant mothers by providing them with useful tips and information from their very first prenatal visit to their postpartum checkup. The "talking book" features navigation buttons to access each page and a drop-down menu for chapter selection. The audio components include a volume control bar and command buttons to stop, end or pause audio narration. You can access Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby by visiting the Foundation web site: http://www.nchealthystart.org/HMHB%20Audio/index.html.
Sadly, there are a number of expecting mothers, particularly teen mothers, who do not seek help during the first few months of their pregnancy. According to the North Carolina Center for Health Statistics, in 2007, approximately 17% of pregnant mothers living in North Carolina did not get prenatal care during their first trimester. Low literacy and economic status tend to play a vital role in a mother's decision to seek prenatal care. According to the National Women's Health Information Center, babies who do not get prenatal care are three times more likely to have a low birthweight and five times more likely to die than those born to mothers who do get care. Early prenatal visits give doctors an opportunity to talk to pregnant women about things they can do to give their unborn babies a healthy start and to detect any potential problems.
The Foundation's goal for the new Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby interactive "talking book" is to reach women of all literacy levels. First printed by the N.C. Division of Public Health in 1983, and revised many years in between, the Healthy Mom, Healthy Baby handbook continues to make an impact on the Foundation's mission to help reduce infant death and illnesses while improving the health of women and children across the state. For more information, please visit our web site, www.NCHealthyStart.org
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The N.C. Healthy Start Foundation, a
nonprofit organization established in 1990, conducts
ongoing public education campaigns, advises state and
local policy makers, and provides technical assistance
and professional training focused on reducing infant
death and illness and improving the health of women
and young children in North Carolina.
