Knowledge, attitude, and behavior about folic acid intake among pregnant women in rural areas of Gansu prorince

Objective To analyze the knowledge,attitude,and use of folic acid among pregnant women in rural areas of Gansu province.Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted from June to September in 2009 among 2 094 preg-nant women from two counties in Gansu province.Face-to-face interviewwas used to obtain information.Results Among the women,32.18% heard about folic acid,and there was a significant difference between the two counties(χ²=17.40,P < 0.05).There were 26.17% of the women knewthat folic acid could prevent neural tube defects and there was a significant difference between the two counties(χ²=45.50,P < 0.05).About 36.29% of the women considered that folic acid should be taken both before pregnancy and during early pregnancy,and there was a significant difference between two counties(χ²=7.369,P < 0.05).The prevalence of folic acid supplementation was 25.36% in the pregnant women,and there was a significant difference between the two countries(χ²=28.81,P < 0.05).Conclusion Knowledge,attitude,and behavior about folic acid intake are extremely lowamong the pregnant women in countryside of Gansu province which will influence the effect of folic acid intervention.