Folic Acid and Pregnancy: Assessing Awareness, Timing, and Use of Folic Acid Among Pregnant Women in Medinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Q: What was the main objective of the study?

To assess awareness and practices related to folic acid use during pregnancy among Saudi women attending antenatal care clinics in Medinah, Saudi Arabia.

Q: What were the key findings about folic acid awareness and timing?

Nearly all participants reported using folic acid, but only a small proportion correctly identified it as a vitamin. Many recognized its role in preventing neural tube defects, yet awareness of appropriate intake timing—such as starting three months before pregnancy—was substantially lower.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by eBook King

Folic acid (FA) is essential for preventing neural tube defects (NTDs) and other congenital anomalies, yet pregnant women’s knowledge and appropriate use remain inconsistent. This cross-sectional study assessed FA awareness and practices among 400 Saudi women attending antenatal clinics in Medinah from October to December 2024. Most reported FA use, but few correctly identified FA as a vitamin or recognized key timing for intake. Results highlight targeted education needs to improve understanding before and during pregnancy.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Objective

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Folic acid and rationale for supplementation

Global and regional burden of NTDs

Evidence of knowledge and practice gaps

Gap in data from Medinah, Saudi Arabia

Review began 11/29/2025 Review ended 12/03/2025 Published 12/08/2025 © Copyright 2025 Alhazmi et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0. , which permits unrestricted use , distribution , and reproduction in any medium , provided the original author and source are credited. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.98709 Open Access Original Article Folic Acid and Pregnancy: Assessing Awareness, Timing, and Use of Folic Acid Among Pregnant Women in Medinah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Abdulhakim M. Alhazmi 1 , Mohammed Elmuttalut 2 1. Department of Clinical Pharmacy, Al-Rayan National Colleges, Medinah, SAU 2. College of Medicine, Al-Rayan National Colleges, Medinah, SAU Corresponding author: Abdulhakim M. Alhazmi, [abdualhakim@gmail.com](abdualhakim@gmail.com) Abstract Background: Folic acid (FA) plays a crucial role in the prevention of neural tube defects (NTDs) and other congenital anomalies during fetal development. Despite the known benefits, awareness and proper utilization of FA among pregnant women remain inconsistent globally. Objective: The overall objective of this study was to assess the awareness and practices related to FA use during pregnancy among Saudi women attending antenatal care clinics in Medinah, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2024 at selected antenatal clinics across the primary healthcare centers and the maternity hospitals in Medinah. A total of 400 Saudi pregnant women were recruited using a cluster sampling technique. Data were collected using a structured, validated questionnaire administered via face-to-face interviews. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney Z-test, and Kruskal-Wallis H-test were used to analyze the data with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, version 26 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States) . A p-value of <0 .05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Among the 400 participants, 194 (48 .5%) were aged 31-40 years, 182 (45 .5%) held a bachelor’s degree, and 306 (76 .5%) were housewives. A total of 394 (98 .5%) reported using FA during pregnancy, but only 76 (19 .0%) correctly identified it as a vitamin. Additionally, 215 (53 .8%) recognized its role in preventing neural tube defects. Awareness regarding the appropriate timing of FA intake was 283 (70 .8%) for the first trimester and 175 (43 .8%) for starting three months before pregnancy. Conclusion: Although most pregnant women reported taking FA, there were notable gaps in their knowledge regarding its classification and proper timing of intake. These findings indicated the need for targeted educational campaigns through tailored health education programs, social platforms, and community-based programs to enhance awareness toward the importance of taking FA before and during pregnancy. Categories: Neurology, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Preventive Medicine Keywords: antenatal care, awareness, folic acid, neural tube defects, pregnancy Introduction Folic acid (FA), a synthetic form of folate (vitamin B9), is essential for DNA synthesis, cellular growth, and embryonic neural development. Adequate maternal intake of FA before conception and during the first trimester of pregnancy significantly reduces the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs), such as spina bifida andanencephaly [1,2] . Despite global awareness of its benefits, many women of reproductive age lack adequate knowledge or fail to adhere to the recommended supplementation guidelines, resulting in preventable congenital anomalies [3,4] . Globally, approximately 300,000 newborns are affected by NTDs annually, with a disproportionate burden in low-and middle-income countries [5,6] . In high-income countries like the United States, mandatory FA fortification has contributed to a reduction in NTD prevalence to about five cases per 10,000 live births [7,8] . In contrast, countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MEN

FAQs

What was the main objective of the study?

To assess awareness and practices related to folic acid use during pregnancy among Saudi women attending antenatal care clinics in Medinah, Saudi Arabia.

How was the study conducted and who participated?

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October to December 2024 at selected antenatal clinics in Medinah. A total of 400 Saudi pregnant women were recruited using cluster sampling and interviewed with a structured validated questionnaire.

What were the key findings about folic acid awareness and timing?

Nearly all participants reported using folic acid, but only a small proportion correctly identified it as a vitamin. Many recognized its role in preventing neural tube defects, yet awareness of appropriate intake timing—such as starting three months before pregnancy—was substantially lower.

Sep 30, 2026

Uploaded by eBook King