Cognitive situation and knowledge needs of folic acid among pregnant women

Objective To analyze influencing factors of cognitive situation of folic acid among pregnant women and to provide scientific basis for effective in tervention.Methods In two counties selected according to economic and geographical status in Gansu province, the women in the period from the pregnancy of three months to one year after the dilivery were selected and investigated with a face-to-face anonymous questionnaire survey.Results The pregnan two men at age of ≤20 and> 30 years, with low education and with low income knew less about folic acid.For the women aged 20 years, only 4.90% knew the need of taking folic acid in the perico nceptional period, while in poorly-educated group, 15.94% heard of neural tube defects(NTDs) and 6.55% knew the right time of intaking folic acid.Only 20.72% of the women heard of NTDs and 19.82% knew the effect of folic acid in low income group.Among the owmen, 38.29% acquired related knowledge of folic acid from doctors and 42.19% reported they expected to obta in the information from doctors.Conclusion The pregnant women at age of ≤20 and> 30 years, with low education and low income are the key population of health education, and the right time of taking folic acid is the key content in the education.Dorctors are major providers and multi-media is the main approach for health education program.