State data show that between 2017 and 2019 - the latest years for which state data is available - about 28% of Latinas reported taking folic acid the month before becoming pregnant. White women took the vitamin at a higher rate, with 46% of them reporting consuming folic acid, according to the California Department of Public Health. This puts Latinas at higher risk of having a baby born with neural tube defects - defects of the brain and spinal cord. Some examples of that are conditions like spina bifida and anencephaly.
State data show that, between 2017 and 2019 - the latest years for which state data is available - about 28% of Latinas reported taking folic acid the month before becoming pregnant. White women took the vitamin at a higher rate, with 46% of them reporting consuming folic acid, according to the California Department of Public Health.