The March of Dimes Folic Acid Surveys are nationally representative telephone surveys conducted by the Gallup Organization targeting English speaking women ages 18-45 years old. There were important changes in responses related to folic acid in the 2000 survey compared to the 1995 survey. However, the data indicate that much more education of women of childbearing age and their healthcare providers is needed. The proportion of women in 2000 (75%) that were aware of folic acid represents an increase from the 1995 proportion of 52%. Although women in 2000 were more likely to know that folic acid can prevent some birth defects than in 1995 (14% compared to 4%), more than 1 out of 10 still did not know this important information. Although women appear to know more about folic acid in 2000 than 1995, the percent of women consuming folic acid daily has not increased substantially (28% in 1995 compared to 34% in 2000).
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