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Purpose: To investigate public understanding of the importance of folic acid intake in young women aged 18-24 years., Data Sources: A written questionnaire designed by the researcher was administered to 138 young women aged 18-24 years attending college or those seeking care in the county health facility. A total of 88 complete questionnaires were used for the data analysis., Conclusions: Young women were not aware of the importance of folic acid, were not taking multivitamins containing folic acid, and were not consuming enough folic acid in their diets. No relationship existed between pregnancy intention and folic acid intake, suggesting that those who were planning a pregnancy in the near future were not consuming adequate amounts of folic acid., Implications for Practice: A lack of knowledge regarding the importance of folic acid may lead to poor pregnancy outcomes. Many educational opportunities exist and should be developed in clinics, physician's offices, and classes which involve young women in this age group.

Objective: To investigate the folic acid intake of young women ages 18-24., Design: Nonexperimental, descriptive survey., Setting: Small private college in western North Carolina., Participants: A convenience sample of 42 female college students ages 18-24., Main Outcome Measures: Survey of demographics, folic acid intake, knowledge of folic acid, and pregnancy contemplation., Results: All participants were found to have an inadequate diet and an inadequate intake of folic acid. Only 33.3% reported taking daily multivitamins. These findings may be attributed to the participants' lack of knowledge about folic acid and the birth defects it helps to prevent., Conclusion: Inadequate folic acid intake is common in young women ages 18-24. These young women frequently have poor nutritional habits and are usually noncontemplators of pregnancy.