Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #148948
Title: AWARENESS AND USE OF FOLIC ACID ON WOMEN IN THE LOWER MISSISSIPPI DELTA

Author
item ROBBINS, JAMES - UAMS,ACHRI
item HOPKINS, SARAH - UAMS,ACHRI
item MOSLEY, BRIDGET - UAMS,ACHRI
item CASEY, PATRICK - UAMS,ACHRI
item CLEVES, MARIO - UAMS,ACHRI
item HOBBS, CHARLOTTE - UAMS,ACHRI

Submitted to: Journal of Rural Health
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/16/2006
Publication Date: 7/3/2006
Citation: Robbins, J.M., Hopkins, S.E., Mosley, B.S., Casey, P.H., Mario, C.A., Hobbs, C.A. 2006. Awareness and use of folic acid among women in the lower Mississippi delta. Journal of Rural Health. 22(3):196-203.

Interpretive Summary: A B vitamin called folic acid when taken by women prior to becoming pregnant can help prevent 50-70% of neural tube defects. These birth defects of the spine (spina bifida) or brain (anecephaly) affect about 4,000 pregnancies annually in the United States. National and state education programs to increase folic acid knowledge and use may not be reaching large groups of women. In this study a random sample of 646 women ages 14-45 from the Lower Mississippi Delta region of Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi was interviewed by telephone. Compared to women in the United States, Delta women were less likely to have heard of folic acid or to take a recommended daily folic acid vitamin supplement. African American women, those ages 14 to 19, and those with less education and lower income were much less likely to be taking folic acid compared to women in the country as a whole. New education programs are needed in the Delta that are community-based, focused on low income and young women, and women not planning to get pregnant. Black church leaders, doctors and nurses, and youth group leaders should become involved in education about folic acid.

Technical Abstract: Background: National and state efforts to increase folic acid knowledge and use may not be reaching large segments of the population. This study examines folic acid knowledge and use among women of childbearing age in a representative, high risk rural sample, and identifies factors that influence knowledge and use. Methods: A cross sectional random digit dialing telephone survey was completed with a representative sample of 646 women ages 14-45 in 36 counties of the Lower Mississippi Delta. Folic acid knowledge and supplement use were estimated by percentages weighted to reflect the 36 county population. Pregnancy intentions and the ability to become pregnant were used to predict knowledge and use among a sub-sample of sexually active women. Results: Compared to national samples, Delta women were less likely to have heard of folic acid (75% vs. 64%) or th take a daily folic acid supplement (34% vs. 22%). The proportion of women who took daily folic acid supplements was very low among the some subgroups: African-American (14%), 14 to 19 years of age (12%), low income (13%), and low educational levels (14%). Of the women who reported being sexually active, the ability to become pregnant more than doubled their likelihood of daily supplement use. Conclusions: A new mode of folic acid education is needed that is community-based, focused on low income and young women, and women not planning pregnancies. In the Delta and similar geographic regions, health care providers, Black church leaders, and youth group leaders should be recruited to the campaign.