title: Baseline investigations of folate status in Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal West Australians prior to the introduction of mandatory fortification.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  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.
  
  
  METHODS
  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).
  
  
  RESULTS
  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.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Office of Population Health Genomics, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Susannah J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Maxwell
authors.forename: Kate J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Brameld
authors.forename: Caroline
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bower
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: D'Antoine
authors.forename: Siobhan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hickling
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Marley
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: O'Leary
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000097:blood*; D005494:Folic Acid Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology*; D005527:Food, Fortified; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000517:prevention & control; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014805:Vitamin B 12 / Q000097:blood; D014806:Vitamin B 12 Deficiency / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000208:ethnology; D014803:Vitamin B Complex; D014904:Western Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D014803:Vitamin B Complex; D005492:Folic Acid; D014805:Vitamin B 12