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 .
Consequences of surveying folate awareness.
OBJECTIVES To assess women 's concerns when interviewed about the association between  folate and neural tube defects ( NTDs ) and to determine how this is affected by time , being folate aware , having seen folate promotional material or being pregnant . DESIGN As part of a community r and omized trial outcomes evaluation , independent cross-sectional follow-up surveys were carried out in 1997 and 2000 . SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS Six local government areas in the state of Victoria , Australia ; 2431 women aged between 15 and 44 years . MAIN VARIABLES STUDIED Whether or not women knew of the association between folate and NTDs ( i.e. were folate aware ) , whether or not women had been concerned by seeing folate/NTD information and if an interview about folate and NTDs had raised any concerns for them . RESULTS In the 1997 survey , 36 % of women said that the interview had raised concerns and this decreased to 26 % in 2000 . Women who were folate aware were significantly less likely to have raised concerns than women who were not folate aware ( OR(adj ) = 0.38 , 95 % CI 0.24 - 0.60 ) . In general , women who had seen promotional material were less likely to feel concern about the interview than those who had not , although this varied with whether or not the promotional material had raised concerns . These effects were greater in women who were pregnant . CONCLUSIONS Women had increased concerns having seen folate promotional material and after being interviewed about it . These results are consistent with the proposition that an initial emotional response to sensitive health information is part of an adaptive response appropriate to the process of health-related behaviour change
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 .