Periconceptional folic acid supplement use among women of reproductive age and its determinants in central rural Germany: Results from a cross sectional study

Wegner, Clara; Kancherla, Vijaya; Lux, Anke; Köhn, Andrea; Bretschneider, Dirk; Freese, Kristina; Heiduk, M.; Redlich, Anke; Schleef, Daniela; Jorch, Gerhard; Rißmann, Anke

doi:10.1002/bdr2.1714

Cited by 9 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…The absence of knowledge of FAS, the reluctance to take many tablets and pills during pregnancy, or beliefs that a balanced diet can prevent low folate levels, could be better tackled with folate fortification rather than relying on the women's initiative to take tablets. Food fortification, whose German advocates are relentlessly calling for (4,7) , remains despite some shortcomings (e.g. vitamin B 12 masking (35) ) the most successful and most equitable intervention to tackle folate deficiency (36) , while behavioural interventions to increase individual supplementation are proven ineffective or poorly documented (37) .…”

Section: Main Implications Of the Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of education and migration background in explaining differences in folic acid supplementation intake in pregnancy: results from a German birth cohort study

Miani

Ludwig

Doyle

et al. 2021

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective Official German recommendations advise women to start taking folic acid supplementation (FAS) before conception and continue during the first pregnancy trimester to lower the risk of birth defects. Women from lower socioeconomic background and ethnic minorities tend to be less likely to take FAS in other European countries. As little is known about the determinants of FAS in Germany, we aimed to investigate the association between FAS and formal education and migration background, adjusting for demographic factors. Design We used data (2013-2016) on nutrition and socioeconomic and migration background from the baseline questionnaire of the BaBi cohort study. We performed multivariate regressions and mediation analyses. Setting Bielefeld, Germany. Participants 947 women (pregnant or who had given birth in the past two months). Results 16.7% of the participants (158/947) didn’t use FAS. Migration-related variables (e.g. language, length of stay) were not associated with FAS in the adjusted models. FAS was lower in women with lower level of formal education and in unplanned pregnancies. Reasons given by women for not taking FAS were unplanned pregnancy and lack of knowledge of FAS. Conclusions Health practitioners may be inclined to see migrant women as an inherently at-risk group for failed intake of FAS. However, it is primarily women who did not plan their pregnancy, and women of lower formal education level, who are at risk. Different public health strategies to counter low supplementation rates should be supported, those addressing the social determinants of health (i.e. education) and those more focussed on family planning.

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Section: Main Implications Of the Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A smaller but more recent study conducted in 2009 in the Munich area found that 85•6 % of pregnant women had taken supplement during or before their pregnancy (and 33•7 % before) (6) . Even more recently, a crosssectional study conducted in rural Germany estimated the prevalence of FAS during the whole of the periconceptional phase at 41•5 % (7) .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of education and migration background in explaining differences in folic acid supplementation intake in pregnancy: results from a German birth cohort study

Miani

Ludwig

Doyle

et al. 2021

Public Health Nutr.

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“…Similarly, a study found that 41.5% of their study samples took FA during the preconception period while 47.4% took it during pregnancy [ 19 ]. This result was found to be associated with the education level, planning for pregnancy, and the pregnancy experience.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Attitude and Practice of Folic Acid Consumption Among Saudi Pregnant Women at Yanbu City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Al-Marwani¹,

Al-Zahrani²

2022

Cureus

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BackgroundFolic acid (FA) intake is important for pregnant women for the healthy growth and development of their babies. It is well known that the intake of FA before and during pregnancy help in reducing the risks of congenital anomalies. MethodsA quantitative cross-sectional design was used to assess pregnant women's attitudes and practices related to FA. This study was conducted in the Antenatal Clinic at Yanbu General Hospital from February 2021 to May 2021. Structured questionnaires were used for data collection from a sample of pregnant women (n=65). ResultsThe study revealed that less than half of the study sample consumed FA daily and only 46.2% of women started consuming FA during the first month of pregnancy. ConclusionAction should be taken by the Saudi Health Organization for empowering child-bearing women to consume adequate sources of FA at the appropriate time and frequency.

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“…Family planning is therefore of high importance when discussing health awareness among pregnant women. The targeted promotion of folic acid supplement use should be conducted periodically by gynecologists and primary care physicians during annual medical screenings [37].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health-Related Behaviors of Pregnant Women Residing in Urban and Rural Areas in Poland

Szubert

Ilowiecka

Wilczyński

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge regarding a healthy lifestyle and prophylaxis during pregnancy among women from rural and urban areas and how this changed within a 5-year period. Analyses of the population of pregnant women in Poland were made using a questionnaire survey. The survey was conducted in the years 2010–2012 and 2017. Questionnaires from 6128 pregnant women were collected. The statistical analyses were conducted using IBM SPSS. The examined population was comprised of 41% women from rural areas and 59% women from urban areas. Alcohol consumption was lower among women from rural areas than among urban inhabitants in 2010–2012; in 2017 a trend of even lower consumption was observed. Folic acid supplementation was more broadly developed in the urban population; however, in 2017, higher percentage rates of both populations admitted taking folates before pregnancy. More women in urban than in rural areas performed physical activity during pregnancy, but the differences decreased in 2017. Knowledge of a healthy lifestyle and prophylaxis during pregnancy increased regardless of place of residence; however, the most evident change could be observed among women from rural areas.

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Periconceptional folic acid supplement use among women of reproductive age and its determinants in central rural Germany: Results from a cross sectional study

Cited by 9 publications

References 30 publications

The role of education and migration background in explaining differences in folic acid supplementation intake in pregnancy: results from a German birth cohort study

The role of education and migration background in explaining differences in folic acid supplementation intake in pregnancy: results from a German birth cohort study

Attitude and Practice of Folic Acid Consumption Among Saudi Pregnant Women at Yanbu City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Health-Related Behaviors of Pregnant Women Residing in Urban and Rural Areas in Poland

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