Folic Acid

The Kentucky Folic Acid Partnership
was established to involve as many organizations as possible in the effort to educate Kentuckians about the Public Health Service recommendation that all women consume 400 mcg of folic acid daily to prevent serious birth defects of the brain and spine.  The goal of the statewide folic acid campaign is to reduce by 50 percent the number of babies affected by spina bifida and anencephaly by the year 2010.

Activities of the campaign are designed to increase awareness about folic acid in order to increase the number of women of childbearing age who take folic acid daily, increase blood folate levels in the target audience, and reduce the number of Neural Tube Defects that occur in Kentucky.

Between July1, 2003 and June 30, 2005, there have been a total of 1,227 activities that reached over 2,801,882 participants statewide.  From July 2000 through June 2005, Local Health Departments have provided more than 372,384 women with folic acid supplementation and counseling/education.

Links for Folic Acid, Birth Defects, and Genetics

National Council on Folic Acid

Kentucky Dept. for Public Health, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System

Medline Plus Birth Defects

Maternal and Child Health Library - A Virtual Guide to MCH Information

National Birth Defects Prevention Network

National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

National Newborn Screening and Genetics Resource Center

Kentucky State Data Center

Organization of
Teratology Information Services

Birth Defect Research for Children, Inc

Magic Foundation

National Institute of Child Health & Human Development