Knowledge and peri-conceptional use of folic acid in ethnic communities in the UK for the prevention of Neural Tube Defects

Peake, J, Copp, AJ and Shawe, J (2013) Knowledge and peri-conceptional use of folic acid in ethnic communities in the UK for the prevention of Neural Tube Defects Birth Defects Research Part A: Clinical and Molecular Teratology, 97 (7). pp. 444-451.

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Abstract

BACKGROUND It is widely accepted that periconceptional supplementation with folic acid can prevent a significant proportion of neural tube defects (NTDs). The present study evaluated how folic acid knowledge and periconceptional use for NTD prevention varies by ethnicity in the United Kingdom (U.K.). METHODS A literature search was conducted to identify studies that included assessment of folic acid knowledge or use in U.K. women of different ethnicities. Only research and referenced sources published after 1991, the year of the landmark Medical Research Council's Vitamin Study, were included. A meta-analysis was performed of studies that assessed preconceptional folic acid use in Caucasians and non-Caucasians. RESULTS Five studies met the inclusion criteria for assessment of knowledge and/or use of folic acid supplements in U.K. women including non-Caucasians. The available evidence indicates that South Asians specifically have less knowledge and lower periconceptional use of folic acid than Caucasians; one study found that West Indian and African women also had lower folic acid uptake. A synthesis of results from three of the studies, in a meta-analysis, shows that Caucasians are almost three times more likely to take folic acid before conception than non-Caucasians. CONCLUSION From the limited evidence available, U.K. women of non-Caucasian ethnicity appear to have less knowledge and a lower uptake of folic acid supplementation than Caucasians during the periconceptional period. Implementing targeted, innovative education campaigns together with a mandatory fortification policy, including the fortification of ethnic minority foods, will be required for maximum prevention of folic acid–preventable NTDs across different ethnic groups.

Item Type:	Article
Subjects :	Health Care
Divisions :	Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences > School of Health Sciences
Authors :	Name Email ORCID Peake, J Copp, AJ Shawe, J
Date :	19 July 2013
DOI :	10.1002/bdra.23154
Copyright Disclaimer :	This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
Depositing User :	Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited :	04 Nov 2016 08:17
Last Modified :	31 Oct 2017 18:53
URI:	http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/id/eprint/812733

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