Cawley S, Mullaney L, McKeating A, Farren M, McCartney D, Turner M J
School of Biological Sciences, Dublin Institute of Technology, Dublin, Ireland.
UCD Centre for Human Reproduction, Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016 Nov;70(11):1285-1290. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2016.104. Epub 2016 Jun 29.
BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: The incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) in Ireland has increased in recent years. This study examines knowledge about folic acid (FA) supplementation for the prevention of NTDs among women presenting for antenatal care.
SUBJECTS/METHODS: Women were recruited at their convenience in the first trimester after sonographic confirmation of an ongoing singleton pregnancy. A detailed questionnaire was completed under the supervision of a research dietitian. Clinical and socio-demographic details were collected.
Of the 587 women studied, 96% took FA during early pregnancy. Of these, 56.4% cited brain/spinal development or the prevention of brain/spinal defects, spina bifida or NTDs as the reason for taking FA. Multivariate analysis showed that women who were experiencing material deprivation or who were living in Ireland <5 years were least likely to be knowledgeable about the benefits of FA supplementation (P<0.05 for both). Over half (57.1%) of the women did not take FA preconceptionally. The main reason reported for not supplementing preconceptionally was that the woman did not expect to get pregnant (76.4%). Over one-third of women (35%), however, reported that they did not know they needed to take FA before becoming pregnant.
These results highlight the need for a renewed public health campaign in Ireland about the importance of FA. As well as focusing on women who have recently come to live in Ireland, this campaign needs focus on women living in deprivation, as these are the women most at risk of having inadequate knowledge about the importance of FA in improving pregnancy outcomes.
背景/目的：近年来，爱尔兰神经管缺陷（NTDs）的发病率有所上升。本研究调查了前来接受产前护理的女性对叶酸（FA）补充剂预防NTDs的了解情况。
对象/方法：在超声确认单胎妊娠正在进行后的孕早期，方便时招募女性。在研究营养师的监督下完成一份详细的问卷。收集临床和社会人口学细节。
在研究的587名女性中，96%在孕早期服用了FA。其中，56.4%将大脑/脊髓发育或预防大脑/脊髓缺陷、脊柱裂或NTDs作为服用FA的原因。多变量分析显示，经历物质匮乏或在爱尔兰居住<5年的女性最不可能了解FA补充剂的益处（两者P<0.05）。超过一半（57.1%）的女性在孕前未服用FA。报告的未在孕前补充的主要原因是女性未预期会怀孕（76.4%）。然而，超过三分之一的女性（35%）报告称她们不知道怀孕前需要服用FA。
这些结果凸显了爱尔兰开展新一轮关于FA重要性的公共卫生运动的必要性。除了关注最近来到爱尔兰生活的女性外，这场运动还需要关注生活在贫困中的女性，因为这些女性最有可能对FA在改善妊娠结局方面的重要性了解不足。
