NEW YORK, NY (March of Dimes) - Although she's not even pregnant, Latin pop star
Thalia has joined forces with the March of Dimes to educate women about the steps they can take to reduce their chances of having a premature baby.
"I'm not pregnant, but I want my nine months someday," Thalia says in a new March of Dimes national public service advertising (PSA) campaign launched here today. The campaign urges women to take action before pregnancy by talking to their health care provider to assess their risk for having a premature baby.
Prematurity (birth before 37 weeks gestation) is the nation's leading cause of death in the first month of life and many who survive have serious health problems such as cerebral palsy and mental retardation. Premature birth affects 1 of every 8 babies, including 1 in 8 Hispanic babies in the U.S.
"Hispanics are the largest and fastest growing racial/ethnic minority group in this country and more Hispanic babies are being born prematurely each year," said Dr. Jennifer L. Howse, president of the March of Dimes. "But there are certain steps that women can take to help ensure a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby. With this new campaign, we're reaching out to all women, including Hispanic women, so that more babies can be born healthy and full- term, and we're delighted that Thalia has joined us in this effort.''
A new March of Dimes report on prematurity among Hispanics and copies of the new PSAs are available online at https://www.marchofdimes.com.
"I Want My 9 Months" consists of English and Spanish 30-second and 15-second television and radio spots, print PSAs, and an educational flyer.
The flyer lists 9 important questions for women to ask:
1. How can diabetes, high blood pressure, infections or other conditions affect my pregnancy?
2. How can certain medications (prescription, over-the-counter, or home remedies) affect my pregnancy?
3. How does taking a multivitamin with folic acid daily, especially before pregnancy, help me have a healthy baby?
4. What is my ideal weight?
5. How can I stay away from cigarettes, alcohol, and illegal drugs?
6. How can I manage the stress in my life?
7. How long should I wait between my pregnancies?
8. What if premature birth runs in my family?
9. What are the signs of preterm labor and what should I do?
Thalia's Hits
Thalia began her career as a child on Mexican television and in Mexico City theater. She has had great success as an actress in highly-rated soap operas in Mexico, establishing herself as an international star. In the 1990s, Thalia's career continued to soar as she merged her acting and singing careers and teamed with producer Emilio Estefan Jr., on several albums. Her hits include "En la Fiesta Mando Yo" and "No me Ensenaste." Thalia, who has experimented with mambo, salsa, dance, merengue and cumbia, just released her highly successful eleventh album in July 2005 titled "el sexto sentido" which features 10 new tracks in Spanish and three in English. This album marked Thalia's highest selling Spanish debut. The second single and video from this album, "Alma Sentenciada," was recently released. Additionally, her "Thalia Sodi" line at Kmart continues to be a top seller with her Holiday/Winter line hitting stores soon.
"I Want My 9 Months" is the latest educational effort in the March of Dimes Prematurity Campaign, which began in 2003 and seeks to help the nation reach the goal set by the U.S. Public Health Service of reducing the rate of premature birth to 7.6 percent by 2010.
The photos of Thalia were taken by renowned photographer George Holz. Cesar Vera directed the television PSAs. The ads were created for the March of Dimes by Marta Pero and Alex Ross of the advertising agency :30 SEGUNDOS.
The March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects and infant mortality. Founded in 1938, the March of Dimes funds programs of research, community services, education, and advocacy to save babies. For more information, visit the March of Dimes Web site at https://www.marchofdimes.com or its Spanish language Web site at https://www.nacersano.org.
