Özet:

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the women’s knowledge about using folic acid or multivitamins containing folic acid in the preconceptional period and first trimester of the pregnancy, and the importance of folic acid. Design: We asked to 500 women who delivered in our clinic between January 2005 and December 2005 to answer to a questionnaire including specific questions about folic acid and neural tube defects (NTD). Setting: Dr. Zekai Tahir Burak women’s Health Education and Research Hospital, Department of Obstetrics, Ankara Main Outcome Measures: The inquiry form included the demographic properties such as the women’s age, number of parity, educational degree and socioeconomic status. We also asked whether their pregnancy was planned or not, were they know that folic acid is a vitamin, and what kind of foods contain it, were they know something about NTDs and the relationship between folic acid and NTDs. RESULTS: Although 73% of all these pregnancies were planned but only 8% of the women had started folic acid in the preconceptional period and continued it during the first trimester pregnancy period. 29% of them had never used folic acid during their pregnancy, and 63% of the women told that they had used folic acid in the preconceptional period and/or in the first trimester. DISCUSSION: When it’s regarded that the frequency of NTD is relatively high in our country, the degree of knowledge of women in the fertile period about NTD and folic acid seems to be insufficient. Because of this reason, there should be more studies to inform and educate the women who are in the fertile period about the role of folic acid for preventing NTD’s.

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