Preconceptional use of folic acid and knowledge about folic acid among low-income pregnant women in Korea
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Folic acid supplementation before pregnancy is known to significantly reduce the risk of having a baby with neural tube defects (NTDs). Therefore, it is important for women to be aware of the effects of folic acid supplementation before pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the awareness and preconceptional use of folic acid and to assess the current knowledge about folic acid among low-income pregnant women in Korea. SUBJECTS/METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted in 2012. Five hundred pregnant women were selected from the waiting list for the Nutriplus program implemented in public health centers using a multistage clustered probability sampling design. Data from 439 women were analyzed after excluding ones with incomplete answers. RESULTS: Among women who responded to the questionnaire, 65.6% had heard of folic acid before pregnancy, and 26.4% reported on the preconceptional use of folic acid. Women with a university degree or higher education were more likely to be aware of folic acid and to take folic acid in the preconception period. In a multivariate logistic regression, when age, education level, household income, employment status, gravidity, parity, and folic acid awareness were included in the model, folic acid awareness was a strong predictor of preconceptional folic acid use. As of interview, 85.4% and 77.7% of women were aware of the NTD-preventive role of folic acid and the appropriate time to take folic acid, respectively. The main sources of information on folic acid were healthcare professionals (41.2%), friends and family members (31.2%), and the media (26.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that public health strategies are needed to increase the preconceptional use of folic acid among Korean women.
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The positive association between good knowledge of IFAS and adherence was similar to studies conducted in Korea, South Ethiopia, and Western Amhara Ethiopia.
“Knowledge of iron and folic acid supplementation was also associated with women’s adherence to iron and folic acid supplementation in studies conducted in Korea [35], South, Ethiopia [29] and Western Amhara, Ethiopia [28].”
From Iron and folic acid supplementation adherence among pregnant women attending antenatal care in North Wollo Zone northern Ethiopia: institution based cross-sectional study (2019) · cites this paper as [35]
The Results section (page unavailable) reports that Korean women who had heard of folic acid before pregnancy were more likely to use it before conception. That supports a related association, but the study measured folic acid awareness and preconceptional use—not knowledge of both iron and folic acid supplementation or adherence to that combined regimen. (LLM, conf=0.87)
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Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [17]Hwang EJ Development of a screening tool for identifying risk of folate deficiency among women of child-bearing age [master's thesis] Cheongju Chungbuk National University 2014
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- Authors
- Kim, J., Yon, M., Kim, C.-I., Lee, Y., Moon, G.-I., Hong, J., & Hyun, T.
- Affiliations
- Chungbuk National University (KR)
- Korea Health Industry Development Institute (KR)
- Shingu College (KR)
- Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (KR)
- Food Safety Evaluation Department, Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, Chungbuk 28159, Korea.
- Corresponding author
- Hyun, Taisun
- Venue
- Nutrition Research and Practice
- Publisher
- XMLink
- Published
- 2017
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 240
- ISSN
- 1976-1457 (ISSN-L)
- 2005-6168
- PMC
- PMC5449381
- OpenAlex
- W2610188907
- Cited by
- 34
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 1
- FWCI
- 2.63
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nutrition Research and Practice (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (11162MFDS732)
- National Research Foundation of Korea (2012R1A1A4A01013074)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Rheumatology › Folate and B Vitamins Research
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Maternal and Neonatal Healthcare
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Public Health and Nutrition
- Keywords
- folic acid supplementation, neural tube defects, low-income pregnant women, maternal education, health information sources, public health strategy, Korean women
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