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 .
Folate intakes and awareness of folate to prevent neural tube defects: a survey of women living in Vancouver, Canada.
OBJECTIVE To estimate folate intake and knowledge in women of childbearing age , in relation to risk of neural tube defects . SUBJECTS/ SETTING One hundred forty-eight women ( aged 18 to 45 years ) in the Vancouver area of British Columbia , Canada . DESIGN Using an interviewer-administered survey , we examined women for folate knowledge and the relation of folate knowledge to intake in a r and om sample . Contribution of folate from food , fortified grain products , and supplements was assessed by vali date d semiquantitative food frequency question naire . STATISTICAL ANALYSIS PERFORMED Descriptive statistics , t tests , Chi;(2 ) , Pearson correlation analysis . RESULTS Mean daily folate intake from food , fortified foods , and supplementation was 812+/-710 Dietary Folate Equivalents (DFE)/day . Fortification of bread and grain products contributed 104+/-68 microg synthetic folic acid (SFA)/day ( equal to 174+/-114 DFE ) , and supplements contributed 205+/-388 microg SFA/day . Although 86 % of women met the Estimated Average Requirement ( 320 DFE/day ) for folate , only 26 % met the recommendation ( 400 microg SFA/day ) for women capable of becoming pregnant . Most ( 95 % ) of the women had heard of folate , but only 25 % knew that it could prevent birth defects . One-fourth of the women had good or very good knowledge of folate-rich foods . However , folate knowledge was not related to its intake . The most common sources of folate information were magazines/newspapers , doctors , and television/radio . Lack of awareness of the importance of folate was the most common reason given for choosing not to use folic acid supplements before pregnancy . However , 78 % of the women indicated that , with knowledge of the benefits of folate , they would use supplemental folic acid daily to reduce the risk of birth defects . APPLICATIONS/ CONCLUSIONS Educational strategies are required to increase folate awareness among women and to promote the benefits of periconceptional folic acid supplementation . Targeting physicians to educate women on the importance of folate could be a potentially successful route .
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 .