Health Professionals:

Delivering the Message

Healthy People 2020, a set of health objectives for the nation established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Health Resources and Services Administration, includes the following goals related to folic acid and birth defects (DHHS, 2017):

• Reduce the occurrence of spina bifida by 10% (from 34.2 cases per 100,000 live births in 2005-2006 to 30.8 cases per 100,000 live births).
• Reduce the occurrence of anencephaly by 10% (from 24.6 cases per 100,000 live births in 2005-2006 to 22.1 cases per 100,000 live births).  
• Increase the proportion of women of childbearing potential with intake of at least 400 micrograms of folic acid from fortified foods or dietary supplements by 10% (from 23.8% of nonpregnant females aged 15 to 44 years with usual intake of at least 400 micrograms folic acid to 26.2%).
• Reduce the proportion of women of childbearing potential who have lower red blood cell folate concentrations by 10% (from 24.9% of nonpregnant females aged 15 to 44 years with lower red blood cell folate concentrations to 22.4%)
• Increase the proportion of women delivering a live birth who took multivitamins/folic acid prior to pregnancy by 10% (from 30.3% of females delivering a recent live birth who took multivitamins/folic acid every day in the month prior to pregnancy as reported in 2007 to 33.3%).

Achieving these goals for Floridians requires a partnership between all interested parties:

• Health care professionals
• Health care organizations
• Governmental agencies
• Businesses
• Consumers
• Volunteer organizations