scholarly journals KNOWLEDGE OF WOMEN

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (07) ◽  
pp. 828-834
Author(s):  
Anum Fatima ◽  
Nadia Saif ◽  
Mansoor Ghani ◽  
Sardar Ali
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Survey Design ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Increase Risk ◽  
Level Of Knowledge

Objectives: Around 50 to 70% of the neural tube defects can be prevented if awoman consumes sufficient folic acid daily before conception and throughout first trimester ofher pregnancy. Therefore, the women should be well aware about the apt supplementation offolic acid to mitigate those miseries that can be resulted from its deficiency. Study Design: Adescriptive survey design. Setting: Obstetrical OPDs of Lahore General Hospital, Lady AitchisonHospital, Jinnah Hospital Lahore, DHQ Hospital Multan, DHQ Hospital Faisalabad, and DHQHospital Rawalpindi. Methodology: A total of 300 pregnant women were studied to assess thelevel of knowledge and practices among women regarding use of folic acid before and duringpregnancy. Non probability convenient sampling technique was used for the purpose. Data wascollected by a self administered questionnaire and was analysed by SPSS version 20. A p-valueof ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The results signified that a majorfraction of pregnant women 227 (76%) were having poor level of knowledge as they scoredless than 50% on knowledge based questions in the questionnaire. Only 4% were distinguishedwith excellent knowledge according to arbitrary scale, which were made-up to be a very lowpercentage. Conclusion: Findings of the study suggested that the knowledge of the womenregarding folic acid supplementation is insufficient that may in response lead to increase risk forthe incidences of neural tube defect.

scholarly journals Low Prevalence of Folic Acid Supplementation during Pregnancy: A Multicenter Study in Vietnam

Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 2347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ha ◽  
Zhao ◽  
Binns ◽  
Pham ◽  
Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Multicenter Study ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Antenatal Visit ◽  
Maternal Characteristics ◽  
Supplement Use ◽  
Education Levels ◽  
Formal Employment

Periconceptional folic acid (FA) supplementation is recommended to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs), but little information is known about its use in Vietnam. It is important that FA supplements start to be taken when planning a pregnancy and continued through the first trimester to prevent NTDs, as the neural tube closes in the first month of pregnancy. However, FA supplementation in Vietnam is usually recommended to commence from the first antenatal visit, which is usually at 16 weeks, and very few women take FA before their first visit. This multicenter study aimed to determine the prevalence of FA supplement use and associated maternal characteristics in Vietnam. FA supplementation was assessed in 2030 singleton pregnant women between 2015 and 2016. In total, 654 (32.2%) women reported taking either supplements containing FA alone or multivitamins containing FA, and 505 (24.9%) reported correctly taking supplements containing FA alone. Women who were aged 30 years or over, had low education levels, had formal employment, and whose current pregnancy was first or unplanned were less likely to supplement with FA. Education programs are needed to encourage FA supplementation when contemplating pregnancy.

scholarly journals Implementation fidelity of Iron and Folic Acid supplementation (IFAs) and associated challenges among pregnant women in Uasin Gishu County Kenya

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roselyter Monchari Riang'a ◽  
Anne Kisaka Nangulu ◽  
Jacqueline E.W. Broerse
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Implementation Fidelity ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Acid Supplementation ◽  
Nutritional Counselling ◽  
Effective Implementation ◽  
Iron And Folic Acid

Abstract Introduction While Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAs) policy is offered free of charge in Kenya and has been implemented in Kenya and other low and middle-income-countries for decades, effectiveness of this intervention in improving maternal nutrition status has been inadequate. This study aims to acquire insight into the degree to which IFAs policy guidelines during pregnancy have been implemented as intended and the challenges to implementation fidelity. Methods Data was collected in rural Uasin Gishu County in the western part of Kenya through document analysis, questionnaires among programme recipients (n=188) and semi-structured interviews with programme implementers (n=6). Themes emerging from data are critically discussed using a conceptual framework based on programme theory and the programme implementation fidelity framework. Results Coverage of IFAs is widespread. However, policy content, frequency and participant responsiveness is not fully implemented. Only 10% accessed intervention within the first trimester as recommended by policy guidelines, only 18% and 15% of the respondents received 90 or more iron and folic acid pills respectively during their entire pregnancy period only 28% reported receiving nutritional counselling, and 66% completed taking the IFAs pills that were issued to them. Late initial bookings to antenatal care, drug stock shortage, staff shortage and long queues, confusing dosage instructions, side effects of the pills were established to be the main challenges to effective implementation fidelity. Anticipated health consequences and emphasis by the health officer to take the pills were established to be motivations for adherence to supplements. Conclusions Rather than targeting pregnant women who turn up for care at the health facilities, IFAs interventions should introduce community-based outreach programmes and make use of community-based health workers. This will not only relief the crowded health facilities for effective implementation integrity, but will also reach out to pregnant women within the first trimester when IFAs impact on health is greater and reach out to those women do not turn up at all for interventions at a health facility. Due to shortage and low compliance to IFAs pills, nutritional counselling is vital to promote consumption of locally available micro-nutrient rich food sources.

scholarly journals Knowledge and Compliance of Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation among Pregnant & Postnatal Women in a Hospital of Kathmandu

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 63-69
Author(s):  
Rupesh Kumar Mishra ◽  
Kalpana Tiwari
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Compliance Rate ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Deficiency Anemia ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Acid Supplementation ◽  
Postnatal Women ◽  
Level Of Knowledge ◽  
Iron And Folic Acid

The high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia and low compliance of iron and folic acid supplementation was reported among pregnant women in Nepal. This study aimed to determine the knowledge and compliance of iron and folic acid supplementation among pregnant and postnatal women in Kathmandu. A descriptive cross-sectional study design was adopted for the study. Sample size was 103 and purposive sampling technique was used to collect the data. All Pregnant women of having above 7 month pregnancy and postnatal’s up to 6 months women were included. Data was collected by using self-administered questionnaire .All the obtained data were analyzed with the help of SPSS version 20. Assessment of knowledge revealed that 85.6 % (88) of the participants have adequate knowledge regarding iron and folic acid supplementation .The findings showed 78.6% (81) of the respondents had  iron and folic acid compliance as standard of Nepal government that is to be taken minimum 180 tablet before delivery. It concludes that the level of knowledge and compliance rate of iron and folic acid supplementation in Kathmandu is satisfactory in comparisons to national status i.e. 42% according to Nepal Demographic health survey 2016. Pearson chi-square test shows that level of knowledge on iron and folic acid tablet is not associated with the compliance of iron and folic acid tablet (χ²= 0.019, p< 0.889). The main reason of respondents having compliance is due to having proper counseling from health worker and non compliance is due to forgetting to have tablet. Therefore improving knowledge level only can’t improve compliance level, various factors like counseling, accessibility and availability of iron and folic acid tablet, side effect of tablet and family support also affects the compliance of iron and folic acid supplementation.

scholarly journals Magnitude and Associated Factors of Neural Tube Defects in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. 2333794X2093942
Author(s):  
Zebenay Workneh Bitew ◽  
Teshager Worku ◽  
Anmut Alebel ◽  
Ayinalem Alemu
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Neural Tube Defects ◽  
Associated Factors ◽  
Unplanned Pregnancy ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Childbearing Age ◽  
Acid Supplementation ◽  
Pooled Prevalence

Neural tube defects remain a major problem in developing countries, but there are limited comprehensive national reports to date in Ethiopia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of neural tube defects and associated factors in Ethiopia. Electronic databases and other sources were used to retrieve studies. Fifteen out of 862 studies were included in the final analysis. The estimated pooled prevalence of neural tube defects among children in Ethiopia was 63.3 cases per 10 000 children. The pooled prevalence of spinal bifida, anencephaly, and encephalocele was 41.09, 18.90, and 1.07 per 10 000 children, respectively. Previous family history and unplanned pregnancy were risk factors for neural tube defects. Folic acid supplementation during the first trimester of pregnancy was found to be protective. Neural tube defects are widespread in Ethiopia. Hence, fortification of food with folic acid or folic acid supplementation during childbearing age is recommended.

scholarly journals Incidence of neural tube defects and their risk factors within a cohort of Moroccan newborn infants

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Khenata Forci ◽  
El Arbi Bouaiti ◽  
Mohamed Hassan Alami ◽  
Asmaa Mdaghri Alaoui ◽  
Amal Thimou Izgua
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Folic Acid ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Neural Tube Defects ◽  
Newborn Infants ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Medical Monitoring ◽  
Acid Supplementation ◽  
Periconceptional Period

Abstract Background Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a group of birth defects that result from a partial or complete failure of the neural tube to close during embryogenesis. Their prevalence varies between 0.5 to 2 per 1000 births in countries without folic acid supplementation. The aim of our study is to assess the NTDs incidence and describe the risk factors within Moroccan newborn infants. Method This is a descriptive study over a period of 5 and a half years including all births at “Les Orangers” Maternity and Reproductive Health Hospital of Rabat with notification of NTD cases, whether isolated or combined with other anomalies. Data were reported on pre-established sheets and on the teratovigilance registry. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS version 18 statistical software. Results During the study period, 43,923 births were recorded including 44 cases of neural tube defects, an incidence rate of 1 per 1000 births, with a female predominance; sex ratio = 0.8. These defects included anencephaly (50%), spina bifida (38.6%) and encephalocele (11.4%). The risk factors detected during this study include consanguinity (34%), consumption of fenugreek or other plants (36%), diabetes (4.5%) and medication (2.2%). A family history of malformation was reported in 6.8% of cases and among siblings in 4.5% of cases. The average maternal age was 30.38 ± 6.88 and the average gestational age was 36.80 ± 5.11. A quarter of mothers did not benefit from any medical monitoring during pregnancy while 59% did not take folic acid supplementation during the first trimester of pregnancy and none of them took B9 vitamin during the periconceptional period. The antenatal diagnosis was performed in 63% of cases. The mortality rate was 3.8 per 10,000 and 16% of cases evolved positively. Conclusion NTDs require high intensity and multidisciplinary care which stresses the importance, in our context, of strengthening and optimizing acid folic supplementation strategies during the periconceptional period.

scholarly journals Duration of periconceptional folic acid supplementation in women booking for antenatal care

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 371-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shona Cawley ◽  
Laura Mullaney ◽  
Rachel Kennedy ◽  
Maria Farren ◽  
Daniel McCartney ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Maternity Hospital ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Maternal Weight ◽  
Time Duration ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Almost All

AbstractObjectiveTo provide accurate estimates of the commencement time, duration and dosage of folic acid (FA) supplementation taken by Irish women in the periconceptional period. The study also aimed to establish the factors associated with optimal FA supplementation practices.DesignCross-sectional observational study. Women’s clinical and sociodemographic details were computerised. Maternal weight and height were measured before calculating BMI. Detailed FA supplementation questionnaires were completed under the supervision of a trained researcher.SettingA large university maternity hospital, Republic of Ireland, January 2014–April 2016.SubjectsWomen (n856) recruited at their convenience in the first trimester.ResultsWhile almost all of the women (97 %) were taking FA at enrolment, only one in four women took FA for at least 12 weeks preconceptionally (n208). Among the 44 % of women who were supplementing with FA preconceptionally, 44 % (162/370) reported taking FA for less than the 12 weeks required to achieve optimal red-blood-cell folate levels for prevention of neural tube defects. On multivariate analysis, only planned pregnancy and nulliparity were associated with taking FA for at least 12 weeks preconceptionally. Among women who only took FA postconceptionally, almost two-thirds commenced it after day 28 of their pregnancy when the neural tube had already closed.ConclusionsAs the timing of FA was suboptimal both before and after conception, we recommend that current national FA guidelines need to be reviewed.

scholarly journals Evaluation of calcium and folic acid supplementation in prenatal care in São Paulo

2010 ◽  
Vol 128 (6) ◽  
pp. 324-327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Camila Atallah Pontes da Silva ◽  
Carolina Atallah Pontes da Silva ◽  
Álvaro Nagib Atallah ◽  
Nelson Sass ◽  
Eliane Terezinha Rocha Mendes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Neural Tube ◽  
Neural Tube Defects ◽  
Calcium Supplementation ◽  
Folic Acid Supplementation ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Chronic Hypertension ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Acid Supplementation

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Preeclampsia and neural tube defects can be prevented during pregnancy. Today, there is level I evidence showing that calcium supplementation during pregnancy may prevent preeclampsia and that use of folic acid may prevent neural tube defects. The aim here was to evaluate the proportion of patients undergoing prenatal follow-up who had received a prescription for calcium and/or folic acid supplementation, and their adherence to the use of these two substances. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study at two hospitals in the Greater São Paulo region, Brazil (Faculdade de Medicina da Fundação ABC, Santo André, and "Dr. Mário de Moraes Altenfelder Silva" Municipal Teaching and Maternity Hospital, Vila Nova Cachoeirinha). METHODS: Early primigravidae, late primigravidae and pregnant women with chronic hypertension, diabetes mellitus or kidney disease who had already had their first prenatal consultation were included. RESULTS: Out of 250 pregnant women interviewed, 10.40% had received a prescription for calcium supplementation and 80.76% of them reported taking it in tablet form. Regarding folic acid, 48% of the women said that they had received a prescription for this and 64.16% reported that they had started to use it during the periconceptional period. CONCLUSIONS: Calcium supplementation and periconceptional use of folic acid seem not to be prescribed routinely by physicians. This should motivate the implementation of educational programs for obstetricians on the use of interventions based on the best available evidence.

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