Women taking folic acid supplementation before becoming pregnant can avoid neural tube birth defects, a group of major birth defects including spina bifida, in most cases. Yet, many women do not know about this simple preventive measure.

Computer-assisted counseling might help more women learn how to reduce those risks during future pregnancies, a new study finds.

The study, published online and in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, recruited 446 women, ages18 to 45, from two urgent care clinics, and had them view a 15-minute counseling session via computer.

Sessions covered such details as how much folic acid, or folate, women should take, how often they should take it, where they can get it and how much it costs. Each woman also received 200 folate tablets.

During follow-up phone interviews, the women in the intervention group were much more likely to know that folic acid prevents birth defects (46 percent vs. 27 percent), more than twice as likely to know that the most important time to take folic acid is in early pregnancy (36 percent vs. 17 percent) and were significantly more likely to have taken folic acid in the last few months (32 percent vs. 21 percent).

For lead study author Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, M.D., of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Research on Health Care, on-screen sessions offer many advantages over handing out pamphlets and other printed material.