The El Paso County Department of Health and Environment is gearing up for a statewide campaign initiated by the Colorado Department of Health. The mission: educate women and physicians about the importance of gaining adequate weight during pregnancy to avoid giving birth to low-birth-weight babies.The reason for the campaign: Colorado has one of the highest low-birth-weight rates in the nation.The campaign, “Healthy Baby is Worth the Weight” is under way to identify adequate weight gain for pregnant women based on their body mass index. Most women are encouraged to gain two to five pounds in the first trimester and one additional pound per week through the duration of the pregnancy, for a net gain of 25 to 35 pounds, according to the state health department.The campaign was driven by a Colorado study, “Tipping the Scales: Weighing in on Solutions to the Low Birth Weight Problem in Colorado,” conducted by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.The findings concluded that women carrying one baby who do not gain the appropriate amount of weight during pregnancy contribute the most to the number of low-weight births in Colorado. And there are high costs associated with babies born at risk because of low birth weightsThe medium treatment costs for low-birth-weight babies range between $32,000 and $50,000, according to information from the March of Dimes. The average cost for a healthy baby delivery at Colorado Springs two hospitals is about $6,000.Linda Short, community perinatal case manager for the EPCDHE, said the March of Dimes information on low-birth weights also included statistics on long-term costs. Health care education and child care expenses for the 3.5 to 4 million children born with low birth weight totals between $5.5 billion and $6 billion from birth to age 15.Babies who are below the average weight at birth, which is 7.5 pounds., visit physicians in the first five years of their life at a 21-percent higher rate, Short said. Newborns who weigh less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces are susceptible to long term problems and diseases. “They have associations with long term disabilities like autism, cerebral palsy, hearing impairments, mental retardation, vision and hearing impairments, mild learning disabilities, increased risk of severe illness and infant mortality – serious health problems,” she said.Mary Jo Rosazza, perinatal health program director, said state officials targeted El Paso County for a campaign pilot project because the county is well situated for outreach to the southeastern part of the state. The campaign is targeting lower income women, younger women and pregnant teenagers.Short and Rosazza will be making contact with 18 counties besides El Paso to ensure that providers are aware of the campaign. Clinics in six of the largest counties – El Paso Teller, Otero, Pueblo, Fremont and Prowers – will participate in a weeklong survey process. Pregnant women who visit the clinics will be asked questions concerning their knowledge about adequate weight gain for a healthy baby.The success of the campaign will be measured in terms of increased awareness about weight gain during pregnancy, Short said.The campaign will run from October through November getting the message out through TV stations, radio, print media, bus signs and an 800 number where women who do not have access to care can call for information.It’s what public health is all about, said Rosemary Bakes-Martin, public health administrator of the EPCDHE. “It is the data we have that determines which demographic is at risk – some public health messages focus on the entire community,” she said. Statistics that show a higher-than-average low-birth-weight rate in Colorado present red flags, Bakes-Martin said. “When we noticed this, we pulled people together to study it further.”Visit the Web site: www.healthy-baby.org
