Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.
Department of Food Science, University of Leeds, Leeds, England.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2024 Apr 5;24(1):241. doi: 10.1186/s12884-024-06408-z.
Folic acid, a water-soluble B-complex vitamin, plays a crucial role in DNA synthesis and maintenance, making it particularly significant during reproduction. Its well-known ability to reduce the risk of congenital anomalies during the periconceptional period underscores its importance. The increased requirement for folate during pregnancy and lactation is essential to support the physiological changes of the mother and ensure optimal growth and development of the foetus and offspring. This study assessed the knowledge, awareness, and use of folic acid among pregnant and lactating women of reproductive age residing in Dodowa in the Shai Osu-Doku District, Accra, Ghana.
The study was a cross-sectional design that involved 388 randomly selected participants (97 pregnant and 291 lactating women). Structured questionnaires were administered to gather information on the socioeconomic demographic characteristics, knowledge, awareness, and use of folic acid of the participants. Dietary intake was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-square analysis tests and are presented as frequencies and percentages, means, standard deviations, bar graphs, and pie charts. The significance of the results was determined at a 95% confidence interval.
The mean age of the participants was 31 ± 5.0 years. Among the study participants, 46.1% demonstrated knowledge of folic acid deficiency, while approximately 68.3% had a high awareness of folic acid supplementation. Approximately 75% of the participants indicated that they had not used folic acid supplements within the week, and 15.5% reported consuming folic acid-fortified food per week.
The women exhibited high awareness but poor knowledge regarding the usage of folic acid supplementation during pregnancy and lactation. Consequently, this lack of knowledge influenced the low use of folic acid supplements and low intake of folate-rich foods among pregnant and lactating mothers.
叶酸是一种水溶性 B 族维生素，在 DNA 合成和维持中起着至关重要的作用，因此在生殖期间尤为重要。众所周知，它可以降低围孕期先天畸形的风险，这突显了它的重要性。怀孕期间和哺乳期对叶酸的需求增加，对于支持母亲的生理变化以及确保胎儿和后代的最佳生长和发育至关重要。本研究评估了加纳阿克拉 Shai Osu-Doku 区 Dodowa 居住的育龄期孕妇和哺乳期妇女对叶酸的知识、意识和使用情况。
本研究采用横断面设计，共纳入 388 名随机选择的参与者（97 名孕妇和 291 名哺乳期妇女）。采用结构化问卷收集参与者的社会经济人口统计学特征、叶酸知识、意识和使用情况等信息。使用食物频率问卷评估饮食摄入情况。采用描述性统计和 Pearson's chi-square 分析检验对数据进行分析，结果以频率和百分比、平均值、标准差、条形图和饼图表示。结果的显著性以 95%置信区间确定。
参与者的平均年龄为 31 ± 5.0 岁。在研究参与者中，46.1%的人了解叶酸缺乏症，约 68.3%的人对叶酸补充剂有很高的认识。约 75%的参与者表示他们在一周内没有使用叶酸补充剂，15.5%的人报告每周食用叶酸强化食品。
这些女性对妊娠和哺乳期使用叶酸补充剂的知识了解不足，但意识较高。因此，这种知识缺乏导致叶酸补充剂的使用量低，以及孕妇和哺乳期母亲对富含叶酸的食物的摄入量低。
