Women who have recently immigrated to Canada are less likely than Canadian-born mothers to take folic acid supplements before pregnancy to prevent birth defects, according to a new study.
While about six in 10 Canadian-born mothers take folic acid before conception, mothers from non-western countries are much less likely to do so, the study found. For example, only one in three mothers from Northern Africa or the Middle East took the vitamins.
Rates were also low among women born in:
- the Caribbean or Latin America (41 per cent)
- Sub-Sahara Africa (44 per cent)
- South Asia (46 per cent)
What's more, among women living in Canada less than four years, only 39 per cent reported using supplements compared to 64 per cent of foreign-born women living in Canada at least 17 years.
An estimated six to 12 in every 10,000 fetuses in Canada still develop neural tube defects, such as spina bifida. Research has shown the risk of the defects can be cut by nearly half with folic acid supplements taken just before and soon after conception.
The study, led by St. Michael's Hospital physician Dr. Joel Ray in collaboration with Statistics Canada, Health Canada and the University of Toronto, is the first to provide national estimates of pre-pregnancy folic acid use in Canada. It used information from an analysis of 6,349 new mothers, aged 18 to 45 years.
"This information is important for policy makers and health practitioners as we aim to better educate new mothers and prevent neural tube defects in their babies," says Ray.
Ray says it's possible that recent immigrant women may have more unplanned pregnancies or they may be simply unaware of the benefits of folic acid supplements.
"Immigrant women, especially those from non-Western countries, are least likely to have this information, which can otherwise be easily provided to these women through various communication mediums."
The study's authors suggest immigrant women be provided with a language-specific pamphlet on the benefits of folic acid, or even with free supplements.
