Folic acid promotion for Hispanic women in Florida: A vitamin diary study

Objective: To assess the barriers and benefits of taking multivitamins among Hispanic women exposed to a folic acid social marketing campaign in Florida, USA. Design and setting: Evaluation of non-pregnant women aged 18-35 from multiple Hispanic subgroups. Method: For 6 months, participants exposed to social marketing campaign educational materials were given a supply of vitamins and reported, on a daily basis, how often they took a multivitamin with folic acid and reasons why they may not have taken the multivitamin. Results: Forty-one women participated in the study and 65 per cent missed 10 days or less of taking the supplement. The most common reason for not taking the vitamin was forgetting. Conclusion: Compliance with multivitamin intake has numerous barriers.Therefore, continued educational efforts by public health practitioners are necessary in order to reach Hispanic/Latino populations known to have a high risk of neural tube defects.