There were factors that are particularly associated with lower rates of use of folic acid supplements .
One of the most important of these is the link with unintended pregnancy , followed by age , socio-economic and ethnic group .
Integrated campaigns can increase the use of folic acid supplements to some extent .
Research trials indicated that : ( i ) printed re sources and the mass media used in isolation are not effective in the longer term ; and ( ii ) health-care-based initiatives can be effective and are more likely to be successful if they include making supplements easily available .
Campaigns and interventions have the potential to exacerbate socio-economic inequalities in folic acid use .
However , even high- quality campaigns that increase use result in under half of women in the target group taking supplements
OBJECTIVE To provide a basis for making recommendations on the potential to improve use of folic acid supplements in the UK , particularly among low-income and young women .
Pregnancy intendedness and the use of periconceptional folic acid.
OBJECTIVE Periconceptional use of folic acid can prevent birth defects , including at least 50 % of neural tube defects . This study used an ongoing surveillance system to explore the association between pregnancy intendedness and women taking periconceptional folic acid .  METHODS Oregon Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System ( PRAMS ) surveys a stratified r and om sample of women after a live birth . In 1998 - 1999 , 1867 women completed the survey ( 64.0 % response rate ) ; responses were weighted for nonresponse . Women were asked whether they took folic acid most days in the month before becoming pregnant . RESULTS Overall , 33.2 % of women took  folic acid most days in the month before becoming pregnant , and 39.9 % said that their pregnancy was unintended .  Adolescent mothers were less likely to take periconceptional folic acid  ( 9.2 % ) and more likely to report unintended pregnancy ( 62.0 % ) than older women . Overall , women who said that their pregnancy was intended were more likely to report that they had taken periconceptional folic acid  ( odds ratio : 4.75 ; 95 % confidence interval : 3.16 - 7.14 ) ; after controlling for maternal age and income the odds ratio was 3.70 ( 95 % confidence interval : 2.38 - 5.56 ) . CONCLUSIONS Women whose pregnancies were intended were more likely to have been taking  periconceptional folic acid  than women whose pregnancies were unintended . The importance of fertile women 's taking daily multivitamins that contain 400 microg ( 0.4 mg ) of folic acid should be stressed among women who are not contemplating pregnancy , especially adolescents and low-income women
There were factors that are particularly associated with lower rates of use of folic acid supplements .
One of the most important of these is the link with unintended pregnancy , followed by age , socio-economic and ethnic group .
Integrated campaigns can increase the use of folic acid supplements to some extent .
Research trials indicated that : ( i ) printed re sources and the mass media used in isolation are not effective in the longer term ; and ( ii ) health-care-based initiatives can be effective and are more likely to be successful if they include making supplements easily available .
Campaigns and interventions have the potential to exacerbate socio-economic inequalities in folic acid use .
However , even high- quality campaigns that increase use result in under half of women in the target group taking supplements
OBJECTIVE To provide a basis for making recommendations on the potential to improve use of folic acid supplements in the UK , particularly among low-income and young women .