Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27411491›Full record

ArticleItalian journal of pediatrics2016

Prevalence and determinants of preconception folic acid use: an Italian multicenter survey.

Roy M Nilsen, Emanuele Leoncini, Paolo Gastaldi, Valentina Allegri, Rocco Agostino, Francesca Faravelli, Federica Ferrazzoli, Enrico Finale, Paolo Ghirri, Gioacchino Scarano and 1 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Italian journal of pediatrics, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 24 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

24 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Awareness and Use of Folic Acid Among Pregnant Women in Western Ukraine: A Pilot Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Roy M NilsenDepartment of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Kalfarveien 31, 5018, Bergen, Norway. roy.nilsen@uib.no.
Emanuele LeonciniAlessandra Lisi International Centre on Birth Defects and Prematurity, Rome, Italy.
Paolo GastaldiUnit (UOC) Obstetrics and Gynecology, Santo Spirito in Saxia Hospital, Roma, Italy.
Valentina AllegriUnit (U.O.) of Pediatrics, Vaio Hospital, Fidenza, Parma, Italy.
Rocco AgostinoDepartment of Mother and Child Health, S. Giovanni Calibita-Fatebenefratelli Hospital, Rome, Italy.
Francesca FaravelliMedical Genetics Unit, Galliera Hospital, Genova, Italy.
Federica FerrazzoliUnit of Neonatology, Santo Spirito in Saxia Hospital, Roma, Italy.
Enrico FinaleUnit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Castelli Hospital, Verbania, Italy.
Paolo GhirriUnit of Neonatology and Neonatal Intensive Care, Azienda Ospedaliero-Univesitaria Pisana, Pisa, Italy.
Gioacchino ScaranoDepartment of Medical Genetics, Gaetano Rummo Hospital, Benevento, Italy.
Pierpaolo MastroiacovoAlessandra Lisi International Centre on Birth Defects and Prematurity, Rome, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundWomen in many countries are advised to use folic acid supplements before and early during pregnancy to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in their infants. This study aimed to update the prevalence and to identify possible determinants of preconception folic acid supplement use in Italian women.

methodsThe study was based on cross-sectional data from seven maternity clinics located in six Italian regions from January to June, 2012. Data on maternal characteristics and supplement use were collected for 2,189 women using a self-administered questionnaire.

resultsPreconception folic acid use was reported by 23.5 % (n = 515) of the participants. Of these, 479 (93 %) women had taken folic acid supplements on a daily basis as recommended by the health authorities. Women who both had intended their pregnancy and had requested a preconception health visit to a doctor/gynecologist were substantially more likely than the reference group to initiate folic acid supplementation before their pregnancy (48.6 versus 4.8 %). Preconception folic acid use was also associated with higher maternal age, higher education, marriage/cohabitation, lower parity, infertility treatments, and chronic disease.

conclusionsData from seven maternity clinics located in six Italian regions indicate that preconception folic acid supplement use in many Italian women is low. Women who do not plan their pregnancy or do not request a preconception health visit to their doctor have among the lowest prevalence of preconception folic acid use. Improving folate status in these and other supplemental non-users may have important disease preventive effects.

Indexed as

Preconception CareAdultCross-Sectional StudiesDietary SupplementsFemaleFolic AcidHumansItalyNeural Tube DefectsPrevalenceSurveys and QuestionnairesFolic AcidFolic acidItalyNeural tube defectsPredictorsPregnancySupplementation

Identifiers

PMID27411491
PMCPMC4944255

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.