Talk to your patients/clients about folic acid today – before they get pregnant.

Folic acid has been proven to help reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs) by as much as 70% if taken before pregnancy and during the first trimester. But survey results show that many women don’t know the benefits of folic acid, or when to take it and where to find it.

The Folic Acid Alliance Ontario commissioned Ipsos-Reid to conduct pre- and post-campaign studies of Ontario women and their understanding and awareness of folic acid in connection with neural tube defects. The studies found that:

• Despite the significant impact the folic acid awareness campaign made on knowledge of folic acid, especially among women who are planning to have children in the next three years, there remains some areas that require further education.

• Most women are still not aware of the daily dosage of folic acid recommended to reduce the risk of birth defects.

• The age of a mother at birth is mistakenly believed to be the most common risk factor for spina bifida.

• Most women of childbearing age are unable to accurately identify food sources of folate.

• Only 35% of women interviewed are currently taking a multivitamin.

 For a complete summary of the survey results download the PDF.

The Folic Acid Alliance Ontario conducted a survey of health care providers in August 2002 following the awareness campaign and found that:

• 90% of health care providers agree strongly that pre-conceptional folic acid can help reduce the risk of neural tube defects (up 15% from 2001).

• 70% always or often discuss the connection between folic acid and neural tube defects with their patients (more than double in 2001).

• There was almost a 50% increase in the number of HCPs who strongly agree that the risk of NTDs can be reduced by consuming a folate-rich diet and a multivitamin supplement that contains folic acid.

• When asked if they counsel patients at high risk differently, 87% said yes (compared to only 69% in 2001).

• When asked to identify women who are at high risk, many HCPs correctly identified women with a previous pregnancy affected by NTDs, women with a family history of NTDs, women who use certain anti-seizure medications and women with insulin-dependent diabetes (comparable to 2001). In addition, 11% identified various ethnic groups (a new high risk group recently identified in this campaign as an outcome of the recommendations made in the 2002 Health Canada report).

 For a complete copy of the Health Care Provider survey results download the PDF.

More information for health care providers:

Pre-conceptional Vitamin/Folic Acid Supplementation 2007: The Use of Folic Acid in Combination With a Multivitamin Supplement for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects and Other Congenital Anomalies- joint SOGC-Motherisk Clinical Practice Guideline

Summary of Preconception Health: Folic Acid for the Primary Prevention of Neural Tube Defects - Health Canada, 2002