Authors
Sinéad McNally, Ashling Bourke
Publication date
2012
Publisher
Irish Medical Journal (IMJ)
Description
This study reports recent trends in periconceptional folic acid use in Ireland using archived data from Growing Up in Ireland the National Longitudinal Study of Children. Of a sample of 10,891 mothers, 6,936 (64%) reported taking folic acid before conception and 10,157 (93%) reported taking folic acid during the first trimester of pregnancy. Younger (OR= 0.38, 95% CI= 0.29-0.50), lower income (OR= 0.59, 95% CI= 0.51-0.68), lower educated (OR= 0.77, 95% CI= 0.66-0.89), and single mothers (OR= 0.46, 95% CI= 0.40-0.52) were less likely to have taken folic acid pre-conception. A similar pattern was found post-conception with younger (OR= 0.58, 95% CI= 0.40-0.84), lower income (OR= 0.40, 95% CI= 0.30-0.53), lower educated (OR= 0.50, 95% CI= 0.38-0.66), and single mothers (OR= 0.74, 95% CI= 0.60-0.91) less likely to have taken folic acid post-conception. The findings highlight an ongoing need for targeted promotional campaigns to increase supplementation rates among younger and socially disadvantaged mothers.
Total citations
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