Assessing the Level of Knowledge in the Preconceptional Use of Folic Acid Supplement among Primigravida Women.

Background Folic acid deficiency is one of the most common vitamin deficiencies among women of childbearing in developing countries. Folic acid intake prior to, and during, the first months of pregnancy significantly reduces the risk of fetal neural tube defects. Objective To find out the level of knowledge regarding the benefits and use of preconceptional folic acid supplements among pimigravida women. Method A hospital based cross-sectional study was conducted among 250 primigravida women attending obstetric outpatient department of Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital. A pretested questionnaire was administered using systematic random sampling technique and data was analysed by SPSS version 16.0 using descriptive and inferential statistics. Result Study revealed that 10.8% respondents had good knowledge whereas, 65.6% had poor knowledge about preconceptional folic acid supplementation. 87.2% had taken folic acid at some point of pregnancy and 17.6 % of pregnant women had taken preconceptional folic acid. 21.2% had heard about folic acid supplement and 20% had known about benefits of preconceptional folic acid. 17.6% knew that it should be taken one month before conception and 16% answered that it could prevent neural tube defects. Conclusion Majority of primigravida women lack the knowledge of preconceptional folic acid. Most women planning to get pregnant are also not taking folic acid supplementation.