When scientists discovered more than 20 years ago that taking the B vitamin folic acid could help prevent neural tube birth defects like spina bifida and anencephaly, the worldwide medical community set out to educate women about the importance of getting enough folic acid.

Women listened, and the rate of neural tube defects (NTDs) dropped dramatically―until 1999. “That’s when doctors started seeing the numbers of these birth defects creep back up,” said Amy Nance, program manager of the Utah Department of Health Utah Birth Defect Network (UBDN).

In 1999, 5.6 of every 10,000 Utah babies were born with an NTD. The rate has steadily increased to 8.5 in 2008. “This means an additional 18–25 babies are being born each year in Utah with a brain or spinal cord tube defect,” said Nance. Nance and her colleagues believe the increase is likely due to fewer women taking multivitamins with folic acid before pregnancy, combined with a lack of funding for ongoing and intensive education targeting women in their childbearing years.

Neural tube defects are birth defects that involve the brain and spinal cord. Anencephaly is one of the two most common and is a condition where the brain fails to develop. It is always fatal. The other defect–spina bifida–is survivable but causes severe, lifelong disabilities.

Formation of the neural tube occurs very early in pregnancy, between 15 and 30 days after conception, before a woman even knows she is pregnant. So moms-to-be must begin taking folic acid in the months before conception. In an effort to reverse the NTD trend, Nance is excited to announce a new grant that will help educate women about folic acid with the goal of increasing the number of healthy babies born in Utah.

Nance and her UDOH colleagues were awarded a ‘First Time Motherhood/New Parent Initiative’ grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The funds will be used to purchase and distribute more than 14,000 bottles of multivitamins with folic acid to mothers in the WIC (Women, Infants and Children) nutrition program. Participants will also get face-to-face education with a WIC program staff member and take-home folic acid educational materials.

Program coordinators are especially anxious to bring their message to Utah’s Hispanic/Latino population. Hispanic babies are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than others in the United States to be born with a neural tube defect. The CDC reports that Latinas in the United States consume the least folic acid and have the least knowledge about folic acid among racial or ethnic groups in this country.

“This project is the first step in building a sustainable intervention aimed at educating all Utah women in their childbearing years to increase awareness of the critical importance of folic acid,” said Nance. “Once women understand it and have the vitamins in hand, we’re confident they will start taking them,” she added.

The project coincides with Folic Acid Awareness Week January 4-10. Nance says it’s a great time to make a resolution to start taking the important multivitamin every day. Starting before pregnancy begins can reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and spine by up to 70 percent.

For more information about birth defects or folic acid, visit www.health.utah.gov/birthdefect/ or call 1-866-818-7096.

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