March 2016

by the North Carolina Preconception Health Campaign

Each year, many of us begin making resolutions to eat less, exercise more and manage our stress. ‘Taking care of yourself to become a healthier you’ is a key mantra of the North Carolina Preconception Health Campaign (NCPHC). This message is communicated all year through education and trainings on health topics such as healthy weight, folic acid supplementation, tobacco cessation, reproductive life planning, early prenatal care and having a medical home. Each topic recommendation may help lower one’s risk of having a premature baby.

Although health care providers are on the front lines of promoting general health and wellbeing prior to pregnancy, it is not enough to casually mention these recommendations to patients without counseling them on these topics. The NCPHC encourages providers to promote preconception health as part of their routine visits with all patients of reproductive age. The...