Introduction: Folic acid deficiency in very early pregnancy significantly increases the risk for neural tube defects in the developing fetus. Due to very high demands for folic acid in pregnancy, adequate supply is not possible without dietary supplements.
Aim of the study: Evaluation of the frequency and adequacy of folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy among women from the Warsaw region of Poland.
Material and methods: The study was conducted among 100 pregnant women using direct interviewing. Chi-square test was used to analyze the relationship between selected parameters and folic acid supplementation.
Results: Folic acid before pregnancy was supplemented by 42% of the respondents. In pregnancy, the number almost doubled (83%), but most women did not start the supplementation until 5-6 weeks of gestation. Before pregnancy, almost all subjects used single folic acid preparations, whereas during pregnancy they used vitaminmineral preparations for expectant women.
Conclusions: The realization of the Primary Prevention Program of Neural Tube Defects leaves much to be desired. Over half of the women do not supplement folic acid before conception, and the supply in pregnancy is initiated too late to meet the assumptions of the prevention program.
Keywords: folic acid; neural tube; pregnancy; supplementation.
© National Institute of Public Health – National Institute of Hygiene.