Awareness on taking folic acid supplement among women in the obstetric clinics in Tehran

This cross-sectional study was performed to evaluate the awareness of women on taking folic acid and also assess the related factors. The study was performed on 500 women between 18-45 years old who visited obstetric clinics of Islamic Azad University and several private obstetric offices. Demographic and social status of the participants and their awareness about folic acid supplement were collected through questionnaire and further evaluated. The data were analyzed by SPSS via descriptive statistics and chi-square test. Of total cases, 77.6% were familiar with the name of folic acid from which 79.6% knew the role of this supplement in preventing congenital disorders and 33% aware of the proper time for the drug application. The results indicated that the degree of awareness among married women who had higher education with moderate to good economical standard of living and also those involved in jobs associated with different medical professions, were higher than those with less education and unrelated jobs. Also, the consumption of folic acid by pregnant women familiar with this supplement was higher than unfamiliar subjects. Meanwhile, it was revealed that the most important reason in failure to consume folic acid during pregnancy was due to lack of knowledge by women and also the negligence of physicians in prescribing the drug.