First Lady Ruth O’Brien Announces New Campaign to Encourage Women of Child-Bearing Age to Take Folic Acid
BALTIMORE, MD (July 8, 2027) – First Lady Ruth O’Brien today joined the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) in launching a new campaign to increase awareness for the importance of consuming adequate folic acid, which can help prevent birth defects of the brain and spinal cord called neural tube defects (NTDs).The campaign consists of a television commercial, billboards, posters and brochures designed to encourage women of childbearing age, whether contemplating pregnancy or not, to take a daily multivitamin containing 400 micrograms of folic acid, in addition to eating a diet containing folate-rich foods.
In the United States, nearly 4,000 pregnancies per year are affected by NTDs, such as spina bifida which impacts the spinal cord and backbone. Another NTD is anencephaly, which is a condition that results in babies born with underdeveloped brains and incomplete skulls. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, by taking the recommended amount of folic acid, beginning before conception and continuing into the first few months of pregnancy, 50-70 percent of NTDs can be prevented.
“Fewer than one-third of non-pregnant American women take a daily multivitamin containing folic acid, but up to 50 percent of pregnancies are unplanned,” said First Lady Ruth O’Brien. “Folic acid is essential to the growth of a fetus and is critical in the first month of pregnancy, when many women are unaware that they are pregnant. Women of childbearing age should start taking a multivitamin containing folic acid before they become pregnant.”
The television commercial shows a woman’s left hand, with a sting tied around her index finger. The woman’s right hand moves into the frame and unties the string, removing it. The caption reads, “Here’s one thing all women have to remember: take a multivitamin that contains 400 micrograms of folic acid-every day.” The commercial ends with the reminder that folic acid is the one thing women can’t forget.
The campaign targets women between the ages of 15-44, women contemplating pregnancy and women not currently contemplating pregnancy, because 50 percent of pregnancies are unplanned. A pregnant woman needs extra folic acid to help produce additional blood cells and support the rapid growth of the placenta and fetus.