1. Study of KAP with regard to taking folic acid supplements and factors affecting the recommendation and prescription of those supplements among obstetricians and specialists in women's health in six provinces of Northern China, 2009
- Author
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Jun Zhu, Juan Liang, Yanping Wang, Ting Li, Ziqian Zeng, and Ping Yuan
- Subjects
Adult ,China ,Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Health (social science) ,Alternative medicine ,Logistic regression ,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology ,Young Adult ,Folic Acid ,Obstetrics and gynaecology ,Pregnancy ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,medicine ,Humans ,Neural Tube Defects ,Medical prescription ,Gynecology ,business.industry ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Test (assessment) ,Cross-Sectional Studies ,Socioeconomic Factors ,Folic acid ,Family medicine ,Dietary Supplements ,Women's Health ,Female ,business - Abstract
Taking folic acid (FA) supplements reduces the risks of neural tube defects (NTDs) in early pregnancy. Obstetricians and specialists in women's health play important roles in promoting FA intake. However, surveys on their knowledge of, attitudes toward, and behavior regarding giving FA to pregnant women are limited. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 5,860 obstetricians and specialists in women's health using a self-administered questionnaire to collect information on participants' demographic characteristics and their knowledge of and attitudes toward and practices related to taking FA supplements. Chi-square analysis was used for rate comparison while logistic regression analysis was performed to predict influencing factors. For items on knowledge about FA and taking FA supplements the overall correct response rate was 60.3% (24,235/40,173). Questions about related practices and attitudes were correctly answered for the most part (more than 90%), but participants were less likely to follow the practice of prescribing FA tablets to women planning a pregnancy while working (77.2%). Statistical analysis indicated that the "Level of facility where the participant works" and "Rate of correct responses on a test of knowledge" were the main factors affecting participants' recommendation to take FA while "Job title", "Amount of professional work experience", and "Rate of correct responses on a test of knowledge" were the main factors affecting participants' prescription of FA. In conclusion, participants had a good deal of knowledge about NTDs and FA but the lack of some knowledge possibly led to the relatively low rate of correct behaviors. Therefore, educating obstetricians and specialists in women's health in this regard is crucial.
- Published
- 2011
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