Multivitamins, folic acid and birth defects: Comparing knowledge and behaviors of Latinas before and after a multi-faceted educational campaign

Background: In North Carolina and the United States, Latina women have approximately double the risk of having a baby born with a neural tube defect (NTD) as non-Hispanic black and non-Hispanic white women. A baseline folic acid knowledge and behavior survey was completed with ~1,000 Latina women across the state in 2006. A 2-year intervention was then implemented using a culturally appropriate multi-faceted educational campaign. Six intervention counties received a three-pronged intervention: a marketing campaign, health care provider education and a lay health educator program, while the six comparison counties received only a marketing campaign. This study presents the results of the follow-up survey, with ~1,000 Latina women, measuring the effectiveness of the intervention.

Methods: A sampling proportional to size design was used to randomly select six rural and six urban counties in North Carolina. During both surveys, participants were selected using the intercept method. Criteria to participate in the survey included: age (18 to 35), place of birth (born in a Latin American county, including Puerto Rico), county of residence (one of the 12 intervention counties), and language spoken at home (Spanish). Study data were weighted to represent all Spanish-speaking women in North Carolina.

Results: The author will present a multivariate analysis of the 2008 survey as well as compare knowledge and behaviors of participants to the baseline data. Results will be stratified by intervention and comparison counties.

Conclusions: This study provides insight into the effectiveness of a multi-faceted, Spanish-language statewide health education program and examines which components of the intervention were most successful.