engleski

Folic acid supplementation in Croatia

Background: adequate folic acid intake in the periconceptional period prevents approximately two thirds of neural tube defects. Aim: to assess the knowledge, attitudes and practice of pregnant Croatian women regarding the intake of periconceptional folic acid. Methods: a total of 495 pregnant women completed the anonymous questionnaire. Results: 74% (368/495) were aware of the importance of folic acid in birth defect prevention. The sources of the information were mostly media (53%), health professionals (39%) and friends (9%). 64% of the women obtained the guiedelines too late, during (48%), or after the first pregnancy (16%). 69% (343/495) of the women interviewed were taking a folic acid supplement, but only 20% (70/343) of them during the appropriate periconceptional period. The women who were not taking the folic acid supplement had lower education compared to those who were (p<0.1)(20% vs.45% of women graduated from faculty or high school). Parity, marital and economic status did not influence FA intake. Out of 108 planned pregnancies, only 29% (31/108) of women took folic acid during the appropriate period, while 31% (33/108) did not take folic acid at all. Conclusions: the potential of folic acid to prevent NTDs has not yet been fully taken advantage of. Since the majority of pregnancies are planned in advance, the official folic acid supplementation recommendations could lead to a significant decrease in the prevalence of NTDs. A folic acid food fortification campaign would include women who do not plan pregnancy, as well as the lower socio-economic layers. The effects of both preventive methods should be monitored and evaluated by congenital anomaly registries.

ffolic acid; supplementation; congenital abnormalities; neural tube defects; prevention

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