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From Data to Action: Folic Acid |
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 Using Surveillance To Promote Public Health
Examples from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PUBLICATION YEAR 2002
Folic Acid
Multiple studies have established that increasing folic acid consumption
just prior to pregnancy and during the first trimester reduces the incidence
of neural tube defects.18 Recent research indicates that folic
acid supplementation also may reduce the incidence of placenta-mediated
pregnancy complications,19 certain congenital anomalies of the
heart,20 and orofacial clefts.20
New York State
New York State used
PRAMS data on knowledge of folic acid as part of two successful grant
applications in 1999. The Congenital Malformations Registry was awarded a
cooperative agreement with CDC ($100,000 per year for 5 years) to initiate a
surveillance program to track trends in folic acid knowledge and use among
pregnant women in upstate New York. These funds also were used for an
educational campaign (billboards, brochures, and other media) to increase
awareness among reproductive-age women, as well as maternal and child health
providers and educators, of the benefits of folic acid intake during the
childbearing years.
 The
Neural Tube Defects (NTD) Surveillance and Recurrence program was awarded a
cooperative agreement with CDC ($50,000 per year for 3 years) to develop an
outreach component for its surveillance system. Now, women with NTD-affected
pregnancies are contacted to make sure they are referred for genetic
counseling and receive information about folic acid to help prevent NTD
reoccurrence in future pregnancies.
West Virginia
 The
Family Planning Program in West Virginia used PRAMS data in 1997 to
demonstrate the need for greater folic acid awareness. The Family Planning
Program received $15,000 from the Appalachian Regional Commission, the West
Virginia Chapter of the March of Dimes, and the West Virginia Folic Acid
Council to develop the Folic Acid Education Project, implemented from July
to December 1999.
 The
Folic Acid Education Project was designed to increase public and
professional awareness about the importance of preconceptional use of folic
acid to prevent birth defects. The project shared information about folic
acid and its benefits with women of childbearing age throughout West
Virginia via displays in health clinics and health fairs. A statewide
toll-free number was maintained to accept calls about folic acid concerns
and to answer requests for materials; this number continues to be in
service. Professional educational materials on folic acid were distributed
to public health programs including Family Planning, Right from the Start
and Maternity Services, WIC, and Children with Special Health Care Needs. In
addition, educational sessions on preconception planning and the benefits of
folic acid were held. In one southern, rural jurisdiction, McDowell County,
the education project was expanded to include the distribution of
multivitamins. Multivitamins with folic acid were distributed to family
planning providers to be given free of charge to participating women. By the
conclusion of the project, 2,500 bottles of multivitamins were distributed
as a way to emphasize the importance of folic acid consumption and to
encourage reproductive-age women to get in the habit of taking folic acid.
Return to Table of Contents
Page last reviewed: 3/24/06
Page last modified: 3/24/06
Content source: Division
of Reproductive Health,
National Center for Chronic Disease
Prevention and Health Promotion
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