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 .
Women's interest in GP-initiated pre-conception counselling in The Netherlands.
BACKGROUND Pre-conception counselling has the potential to reduce pregnancy complications and congenital disorders . The timing of counselling , before conception , is crucial to maximize the benefit . As many couples are unaware of their risk status and the fact that the first period of pregnancy is crucial , they do not seek information before pregnancy occurs . To reach couples with timely information , it seems that a health care worker needs to take the initiative . In The Netherl and s , the GP is in an ideal position to offer pre-conception counselling . OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to determine the interest of women aged 18 - 40 in pre-conception counselling  if this is offered to them by their own GP . METHOD A cohort of women ( n = 1206 ) received a personal letter from their own GP with an offer of pre-conception counselling . The women were requested to fill in a reply form , indicating if they were interested , might be interested ( if they decided to become pregnant ) or were not interested in an invitation for pre-conception counselling . When interested , they were asked to give an indication as to when they were planning a pregnancy . Women who were not interested were requested to give a reason . RESULTS Almost 70 % of the women returned the reply form . Up to the age of 29 years , at least 80 % of the respondents were interested or might be interested should they decide to have children . Most women , especially the younger women , do not know exactly when they wish to become pregnant . Regardless of age , > 70 % of the respondents were interested . Only 11 % of the respondents indicated specifically that they were not interested in advice . CONCLUSION Women are interested in GP-initiated pre-conception counselling . Further research is needed to assess the effect of programmed and systematic pre-conception counselling , offered by GPs , on pregnancy outcome and the health of the children . A r and omized controlled trial to assess these effects currently is being conducted at the Department of General Practice in Leiden
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 .