According to the Maternity Experiences Survey (MES*), younger women are less likely to take folic acid before or during pregnancy than are older women.

Women with higher education are more likely to take folic acid than are women with less formal education, both before or during the first three months of pregnancy

Women having their first babies are slightly more likely to take folic acid than are women having subsequent babies.

Women living in low income are less likely to take folic acid than are women living in higher income.

*The MES population consisted of birth mothers 15 years of age and older who had a singleton live birth in Canada during a three-month period preceding the 2006 Canadian Census of Population and who lived with their infant at the time of data collection. Using the 2006 Canadian Census, a stratified random sample of 8,244 women estimated to be eligible was identified. Of these women, 6,421 (78%) completed a 45-minute interview at five to 14 months after the birth of their baby, conducted primarily by telephone.