Document Detail


Assessing awareness, knowledge and use of folic acid in Kansas women between the ages of 18 and 44 years.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  18810617     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Taking folic acid daily, before and during early pregnancy, has been proven to reduce neural tube birth defects (NTD). Unfortunately, many women fail to take it daily as recommended. OBJECTIVES: To assess women's self-reported awareness, knowledge and use of folic acid. Methods Data were obtained by cross-sectional, random digit-dialing, computer-assisted telephone interviews with 250 women in Kansas. Associations were determined by chi-squared analysis. RESULTS: Eighty-eight percent of childbearing age women in Kansas have a general awareness of folic acid, 20% have knowledge that it reduces birth defects, but only 25% report taking it daily. Awareness was associated with high school or greater education (P < .0001), incomes over $25,000 (P = 0.0003), being married (P = 0.0035), being white (P = 0.0135), having health insurance (P = 0.0152) and being capable of pregnancy (P = 0.0119). Knowledge that folic acid reduces birth defects was associated with being aware of the USPHS recommendation (P < .0001), being capable of pregnancy (P = 0.0043), being pregnant (P = 0.0061), and being aware of folic acid (P = 0.0379). Taking folic acid daily was associated with currently being pregnant (P = 0.0126). CONCLUSIONS: Women less likely to take folic acid on a daily basis were young, non-Caucasians who reported less education, less income and no health insurance. Based upon these data, multi-level education campaigns that specifically target lower-SES women should be considered.
Authors:
Glynda F Sharp; Lorenda A Naylor; Jinwen Cai; Melissa L Hyder; Pradeep Chandra; V James Guillory
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't     Date:  2008-09-23
Journal Detail:
Title:  Maternal and child health journal     Volume:  13     ISSN:  1573-6628     ISO Abbreviation:  Matern Child Health J     Publication Date:  2009 Nov 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-10-09     Completed Date:  2010-01-25     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9715672     Medline TA:  Matern Child Health J     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  814-21     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, 1750 Independence Ave., Kansas City, MO 64106, USA. gsharp@kcumb.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adolescent
Adult
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dietary Supplements / utilization*
Educational Status
Female
Folic Acid / administration & dosage*
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Kansas / epidemiology
Logistic Models
Neural Tube Defects / prevention & control*
Socioeconomic Factors
Young Adult
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
59-30-3/Folic Acid

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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