Anemic Pregnancy Might Cause Asthma in Children

Iron deficiency during pregnancy may directly impact infant and childhood breathing health. According to a study recently published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI), 597 families who had previously participated in the Asthma in Pregnancy (AIP) Study, found 12 percent of mothers had anemia while pregnant. Among their children, 22 percent had recurrent wheeze in the first year of life and 17 percent had active asthma at age six.

Asthma is a respiratory disease that causing shortness of breath, wheezing and a tightening of the chest. According to the National Heart Lung blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, nearly 6 million of the 22 million Americans who have asthma are children. Asthma sufferers often have inhalers for breathing emergencies, and may also use a nebulizer regularly to open restricted airways. According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, the direct medical costs of asthma in 1994 totaled $6 million.
Women in low-income areas, as well as third world countries face challenges when it comes to proper prenatal care. According to a study of women in Sacramento, finding a physician that accepts uninsured and underinsured patients proved to be a major barrier to obtaining proper prenatal care, as well as transportation. According to UNICEF, at least 20% of disease in children younger than the age of 5 is related to poor maternal health and nutrition.

Anemia in expectant mothers also leads to early delivery and babies with a low birth weight. Anemia can often be remedied with a change in diet, in conjunction with an iron supplement. The biggest challenge is helping women understand the importance of prenatal care, and making it accessible.

As federal, state and local legislators struggle to make ends meet, public health programs and family planning organizations - which also offer prenatal services to low-income recipients - are facing drastic cuts. The House of Representatives recently voted to cut all of Planned Parenthood's $75 million in federal funding for family planning but also the entire $317 million Title X budget.

text4baby is one organization that is taking a different approach to prenatal care sends free text messages to expectant mothers. Text4baby is a partnership of organizations including National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Baby Coalition, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Johnson & Johnson, among others. Currently, the service has 135,000 subscribers and sends three text messages a week in English and Spanish based on the zip code and due date of the subscriber.