Folate and Vitamin B12 Status in Women of Reproductive Age in Rural Haryana, India: Estimating Population-Based Prevalence for Neural Tube Defects.

Folate and vitamin B12 deficiencies in pregnant women are associated with increased risk for adverse maternal and infant health outcomes, including neural tube defects (NTDs). A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in two rural areas in Ambala District, Haryana, India in 2017 to assess baseline folate and vitamin B12 status among women of reproductive age (WRA) and predict the prevalence of NTDs. We calculated the prevalence of folate and vitamin B12 deficiency and insufficiency by demographic characteristics among 775 non-pregnant, non-lactating WRA (18-49 years). Using red blood cell (RBC) folate distributions and an established Bayesian model, we predicted NTD prevalence. All analyses were conducted using SAS-callable SUDAAN Version 11.0.4 to account for complex survey design. Among WRA, 10.1% (95% CI: 7.9, 12.7) and 9.3% (95% CI: 7.4, 11.6) had serum (<7 nmol/L) and RBC folate (<305 nmol/L) deficiency, respectively. The prevalence of RBC folate insufficiency (<748 nmol/L) was 78.3% (95% CI: 75.0, 81.3) and the predicted NTD prevalence was 21.0 (95% uncertainly interval: 16.9, 25.9) per 10,000 live births. Prevalences of vitamin B12 deficiency (<200 pg/mL) and marginal deficiency (≥200 pg/mL and ≤300 pg/mL) were 57.7% (95% CI: 53.9, 61.4) and 23.5% (95% CI: 20.4, 26.9), respectively. The magnitude of folate insufficiency and vitamin B12 deficiency in this Northern Indian population is a substantial public health concern. The findings from the survey help establish the baseline against which results from future post-fortification surveys can be compared.

Das R ，Duggal M ，Rosenthal J ，Kankaria A ，Senee HK ，Jabbar S ，Kaur M ，Kumar V ，Bhardwaj S ，Singh N ，Dhanjal GS ，Kumar A ，Rose CE ，Bhatia R ，Gupta R ，Dalpath S ，Crider KS ，Zhang M ，Pfeiffer CM ，Gupta R ，Mehta R ，Raina N ，Yeung LF ... -  《Birth Defects Research》

Anaemia prevalence, its determinants and profile of micronutrient status among rural school adolescent girls aged 14-19 years: a cross-sectional study in Nagpur district, Maharashtra, India.

Dhurde VS ，Patel AB ，Locks LM ，Hibberd PL ... -  《-》

Baseline investigations of folate status in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal West Australians prior to the introduction of mandatory fortification.

In September 2009, Australia implemented mandatory folic acid fortification of wheat flour for bread-making to reduce the incidence of neural tube defects. Our study aimed to establish baseline folate status data in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal Western Australians. Patients who presented at a health service or collection centre for blood tests were invited to participate. One hundred and ninety-one Aboriginals and 159 non-Aboriginals were recruited between April 2008 and September 2009. Participants completed a five-minute questionnaire and had blood taken for red blood cell (RBC) folate and serum vitamin B12. Data were analysed using SPSS (version 17.0.2, SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). Ten per cent (95% confidence intervals (CI): 5, 19) of the Aboriginal women participants and 26% (95% CI: 16, 40) of men had RBC folate concentrations below 250 ng/mL, the cut-off associated with folate deficiency. None of the non-Aboriginal women (95% CI: 0, 4) and 4% of the non-Aboriginal men (95% CI: 2, 12) had RBC folate concentrations below 250 ng/mL. All participants were vitamin B12 replete. None of the 96 Aboriginal and 8% of non-Aboriginal women aged 16-44 reported consumption of supplements with a daily intake of >400 μg folic acid during the previous week. This study established a baseline of RBC folate, folate consumption and supplement use in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal groups. We identified 10% of Aboriginal women and none of non-Aboriginal women participants with low folate concentrations. The higher prevalence of folate deficiency in Aboriginal participants suggests they are more likely to benefit from a universal program of folate fortification.

Maxwell SJ ，Brameld KJ ，Bower C ，D'Antoine H ，Hickling S ，Marley J ，O'Leary P ... -  《-》

Assessment of vitamin B(12) and folate status and their determinants in children aged 6-59 months with severe acute malnutrition admitted to a tertiary-care centre in North India.

Verma GK ，Chand R ，Yadav RK ，Khan IA ，Kumar A ，Kumar R ，Bashar MA ... -  《-》

Vitamin B12 supplementation during pregnancy for maternal and child health outcomes.

Finkelstein JL ，Fothergill A ，Venkatramanan S ，Layden AJ ，Williams JL ，Crider KS ，Qi YP ... -  《Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews》