The Awareness of Folic Acid Supplements among Women of Child bearing Age in King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah-Saudi Arabia

Bukhari, Ayman A.; Bajouh, Osama S.; Aljehani, Marwa A.; Alzahrani, Nouf J.; Qahtani, Amal M. Al; Almrstani, Ahmad Ms

doi:10.21276/ijlssr.2016.2.5.14

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…However, this study reports a comparatively higher intake of FA supplementation during pregnancy or pregnancy planning than previous studies from Saudi Arabia 20 , 21 , 34 and other countries that reported low percentages of FA supplementation intake in their study population, especially during the periconceptional period. 35 – 38 Knowledge pertaining to the proper timing of FA supplements is absolutely essential to ensure the normal development of the nervous system in infants, and to minimize the risk of NTDs.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

“…25 In this study, although awareness of FA was high among the respondents, the usage of FA supplementation reported by respondents was low. Similar findings were reported by studies conducted in Saudi Arabia 20,21,34 and other countries. [35][36][37][38] The present findings suggest that respondents with specialization in health sciences gained knowledge through education, which helped to improve the intake of FA supplements.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Folic acid awareness and usage among females at Saudi Electronic University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

et al. 2021

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Objectives: This study evaluates awareness of folic acid and neural tube defects, use of folic acid and knowledge of folic acid usage among female university students in Saudi Arabia. Methods: An analytical cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Jeddah branch of Saudi Electronic University. A total of 400 female students in the 19–45 years age group were contacted to participate in the study using a convenience sampling method. Eighty-eight students refused to participate, so 312 students were included in the study. Demographic characteristics of participants and their awareness, usage and knowledge of folic acid are presented as frequencies and percentages. Logistic regression analysis was used to compute crude odds ratios to show the association between demographic factors and knowledge of folic acid supplementation. A further adjusted odds ratio was calculated to control for other cofactors. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: Overall, 81.1% (253/312) of respondents had heard of folic acid, 30.4% knew about neural tube defects, and 47.1% of respondents reported using folic acid supplements. Marriage was found to be associated with awareness of folic acid (adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 2.64 (1.01–6.91)). Health sciences specialization and experience of pregnancy were associated with the usage of folic acid (adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 3.46 (1.73–6.91) and adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 6.70 (3.09–14.53), respectively). A bachelor’s and above education level was found to be associated with knowledge of folic acid deficiency leading to neural tube defects (adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 2.03 (1.17–3.52)), and health sciences specialization was found to be associated with knowledge of natural sources of folic acid (adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 2.33 (1.25–4.36)). Similarly, marriage was found to be associated with knowledge of the correct dosage of folic acid and timing of folic acid to prevent neural tube defects (adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 6.34 (3.50–11.48) and adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 3.45 (1.93–6.16), respectively). Experience of pregnancy was found to be an associated with good total knowledge of folic acid (adjusted odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 3.05 (1.65–5.63); p = 0.0001). Conclusion: The study findings highlight the lack of awareness among female university students about the importance of folic acid usage in the prevention of neural tube defects. There is a need for interventional programs in universities to create awareness.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

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Folic acid awareness and usage among females at Saudi Electronic University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

et al. 2021

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“…Our study found that more than half of the participants knew the importance of folic acid in preventing neural tube formation and promoting brain and spinal cord growth, which was consistent with a previous study in Saudi Arabia that showed that 54.5% of the participants were familiar with the usefulness of folic acid in preventing these abnormalities 24 . However, the findings of our study were lower than that of other studies that reported a higher level of awareness about the role of folic acid in preventing these abnormalities 25,27,28 . In the study conducted in King Fahad Medical City, a higher level of awareness was reported, in which 80.1% of women were aware that folic acid is used to prevent NTDs 24 .…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 90%

Female awareness about the preconception use of folic acid supplements in childbearing age: A cross‐sectional study

Raad

Alhommos

2021

Int J Clin Pract

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Aims Folic acid is required for the growth and development of the fetus. There is strong evidence that taking folic acid before pregnancy and during the first trimester reduces the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs). This study aimed to assess women's awareness of preconception folic acid supplementation and its importance to the mother and the fetus. Methods This was a cross‐sectional questionnaire study conducted in Saudi Arabia between January and April 2019. An electronic questionnaire tool was designed and distributed using Google Forms through social media (Facebook and WhatsApp) websites. Binary logistics regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs), with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for predictors of poor levels of awareness about folic acid. Results A total of 514 women participated in this study. The age range for the study participants was 18‐45 years. Only 24.1% of the participants reported that they routinely took folic acid. The most commonly reported source of information about folic acid use was the doctor. The majority of the participants had poor awareness of folic acid use. Older age (30 years and above) and not taking regular folic acid supplements were important predictors of poor awareness of folic acid. Having a university degree or higher education was an important predictor of increased awareness about folic acid. Conclusion Our study found that the awareness of the Saudi women was poor in identifying the generic name of folic acid, recognising the sources of folic acid, the correct dose of folic acid, and the side effects of high doses of folic acid and that there was good knowledge about the importance of folic acid, the consequences of folic acid deficiency, and the belief that even non‐pregnant women and girls of childbearing age should take folic acid.

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“…Hence regarding correct knowledge on this vitamin and its association with educational level, our results are consistent with the findings of similar studies done in Makkah Al-Mokarramah, Saudi Arabia (72.2%), Tabuk, Saudi Arabia (48.5%), Lebanon (24.7%), [19,20,21,22], and in Qatar (41.3%), where most of women who knew and used Folic acid before the pregnancy and during the first trimester, were those having higher education level [23]. Likewise, similar study in Texas (USA) showed a significant association ( ≤ 0.001) of level of awareness with education level [24].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 91%

Awareness of Folic Acid Intake among Women of Childbearing Age in Ha’il region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Khan

Alahmed

Alsaad

et al. 2021

JPRI

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Background: Folic acid deficiency is one of the most common vitamin deficiencies among women of childbearing-age. Folic acid is a water-soluble B-complex vitamin. Although the deficiency is easily corrected by administration of folic acid, but still the prevalence of folic acid deficiency is high. It can lead to neural tube defects (NTDs) in fetus, which are a major cause of severe disability and mortality among infant population, occurring in over one quarter of a million new-borns per year, worldwide. NTDs occur in the very early phase of pregnancy when the mother herself does not know that she is pregnant. This study has assessed awareness of women of childbearing age on folic acid i.e., timing of folic acid supplementation, different sources, symptoms of its deficiency, toxicity and its effect on fetus. Study was conducted in Ha’il region and its suburbs, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the period between October 2020 and February 2021. Methodology: An analytical cross-sectional community-based study was carried out among 842 women aged between18 and 45 years using a close-ended questionnaire. Results: In total, Folic Acid was taken by just 23.87% of participants. Only 33% knew that Folic Acid deficiency causes neural tube defects in fetus. Further it was revealed that postgraduates had a significantly better knowledge on Folic Acid 0.000) than others. Similarly, those who belonged to household where total monthly income was 5000 Saudi Riyals or more had better awareness on Folic Acid than participants who belonged to low socioeconomic status ( 0.05). Conclusion: It’s concluded that in Ha’il and its suburb area, women of childbearing age do not possess adequate knowledge on Folic Acid. Neural tube defects in fetus due to folic acid deficiency were not known by a large majority of respondents. However, awareness has a strong association with educational level and socioeconomic status. Hence it is recommended that female literacy and female employment should be promoted, encouraged and supported in Kingdom in order to improve our health indicators.

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The Awareness of Folic Acid Supplements among Women of Child bearing Age in King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah-Saudi Arabia

Cited by 6 publications

References 12 publications

Folic acid awareness and usage among females at Saudi Electronic University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Folic acid awareness and usage among females at Saudi Electronic University in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Female awareness about the preconception use of folic acid supplements in childbearing age: A cross‐sectional study

Awareness of Folic Acid Intake among Women of Childbearing Age in Ha’il region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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