CARSON CITY — The Nevada State Health Division announced last week its participation in the 2012 Text4baby State Enrollment Contest, a national competition to enroll pregnant women and new mothers in the text4baby program.

Text4baby, the country’s first free, health education program in the form of text messages, provides timely tips and expert advice sent directly to the cell phones of pregnant women and new moms. Pregnant women and new mothers who text “BABY” (or “BEBE” for Spanish) to 511411 receive weekly text messages, timed to their due date or their baby’s birth date through the baby’s first year. The messages, which have been developed by government and non-profit health experts such as the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention and American Academy of Pediatrics, deal with nutrition, immunization and birth defect prevention, among other topics.

“Nevada State Health Division is pleased to partner with the text4baby initiative to give expectant and new mothers critical information they need so they can take charge of their health and the health of their babies,” said state Health Officer Dr. Tracey D. Green.

In its first two years, text4baby has reached more than 335,000 users. The three states that have enrolled the most users in text4baby between May 17 and Oct. 22 will be announced and recognized during the American Public Health Association Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California in late October.