March of Dimes students advocate dangers preemies face
By Jennifer Lauren Lee
Nov. 11, 2004 9:00 p.m.
UCLA students are preparing for a week of activities centered
around educating the community about the dangers of premature
births. They hope to teach others on campus about the risks and
issues concerning babies born early.
Next Tuesday, selected buildings across the country, from banks
and bridges to the Empire State Building, will glow blue and pink
to acknowledge National Prematurity Awareness Day, showing their
support for increased research into the causes and techniques for
prevention of premature births.
UCLA student members of the March of Dimes Collegiate Council
will be recognizing the holiday as well, with a week’s worth
of activities to educate students about the risks prematurity poses
to children.
Student members of the March of Dimes will be tabling at the
Court of Sciences and UCLA Medical Center on Monday through
Thursday of next week, providing passersby with information
regarding who is at risk for having premature babies, how people
can reduce those risks and what students can do to communicate this
information to the public.
“It’s good to educate students because we’re
well-educated enough to spread the word,” said Linh Bui, a
fourth-year physiological science student and treasurer of the UCLA
division of the March of Dimes Collegiate Council.
“We want to educate the community all around about it
““ to have people realize that it is a prevalent
problem,” Bui said, especially because the rate of premature
births nationwide has increased by 29 percent since 1981.
“It’s the second-leading cause of death in the first
year of life. … One in eight babies in this country is born
prematurely,” said Barbara Rosen, senior director of program
services at the Southern California chapter of the March of
Dimes
Visual problems, brain disorders, chronic lung disease and
learning disabilities are just some of the problems that
approximately 100,000 “preterm” babies ““ babies
that are born less than 37 weeks into a pregnancy, instead of the
usual 40 weeks ““ suffer from each year, Rosen said.
“It affects everybody,” said Cathy Nguyen, a
fourth-year physiological science student and active member of
March of Dimes on campus. “It’s so prevalent, and
it’s personal. All my siblings and I have been
preemies.”
The student members of the March of Dimes hope to set up a
clothesline display of paper and cotton baby stockings, each
representing a premature baby a table visitor has chosen to
recognize, Bui said.
Visitors will even be able to experience what it is like to
breathe with underdeveloped lungs.
“We would like to replicate the experience of a premature
baby trying to breathe,” Bui said. “We would like
students to breathe through a coffee straw only for 30 seconds, and
see what it feels like. … It’s just making the problems of
these babies real (and showing) that there is a danger in being
born premature.”
Educating the community and raising research funds are just some
of the long-term goals of the group.
Besides teaching others about the issues concerning premature
births, the March of Dimes often lobbies Congress to pass laws
meant to decrease the risk of premature birth defects. Among the
March of Dimes’ recent lobbying successes is the passing of a
federal bill that will increase the number of disorders doctors
screen for at birth from four to 70. These tests can lead to early
detection, prevention and a cure.
Although the bill will not go into effect until August 2005,
Rosen says the UCLA Medical Center is one of the few places in the
state that is testing newborns for all 70 disorders right now.
“They’re ahead of the law,” Rosen said,
“and that’s a really cool thing ““ we’re
really proud of them.”
Nguyen explains that tests done on expectant mothers can alert
doctors to problems with the fetus that are much less expensive to
correct if they are caught early.
“Some things could be taken care of with a simple dietary
change,” Nguyen said.
An increase in the amount of folic acid taken at least three
months before a pregnancy, for example, can reduce the risk of
spinal deformities in the baby by 70 percent, Rosen said.
Nguyen says that education about the dangers of prematurity can
help mothers decide which tests they need, especially those of low
socioeconomic status.
“Sometimes they just don’t think about (having
tests) because they’re more worried about the finances right
then,” Nguyen said. “People don’t realize that it
will probably save them more in the long run. … It’s an
extra 60 bucks versus having to (spend) hundreds and thousands of
dollars on procedures afterward ““ (such as) putting the baby
on a respirator.”
Nguyen and Bui both encourage students to educate themselves
about the risks of prematurity.
“College students probably think, “˜Oh, why do I have
to care? I’m not having a kid right now,'” Bui
said. “But it’s good information to know because you
might want to have kids some day.”
Rosen stresses the importance of developing an active, healthy
lifestyle for all women of childbearing age. “Plan your
babies like you’re planning your career,” Rosen said.
“The decisions and things women do when they’re young
can really impact them later.”
