Economic evaluation of folic acid food fortification in The Netherlands

Background: Folic acid intake before and during pregnancy reduces neural tube defects (NTD). Therefore, several countries have enriched bulk food with folic acid resulting in a 26–48% decrease in the prevalence of NTDs. In 2000, the Dutch Health Council advised against folic acid enrichment based on literature research; yet formal cost-effectiveness information was absent. We designed our study to estimate cost-effectiveness of folic acid food fortification in the Netherlands. Method: Prevalence of NTD at birth, life-time costs of care, and folic acid fortification costs were estimated using D... Mehr ...