ArticlePublic health2018
Folate supplementation to prevent birth abnormalities: evaluating a community-based participatory action plan for refugees and migrant workers on the Thailand-Myanmar border.
Article in Public health, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interventions to Improve the Reproductive Health of Undocumented Female Migrants and Refugees in Protracted Situations: A Systematic Review.Global health, science and practice · 2022Pooled it
- Nutritional Vulnerabilities and Dietary Disparities Among Migrant Workers in the Informal Sectors: A Global Scoping Review.Journal of immigrant and minority health · 2026Review
- Cohort Profile: the SMRU Refugee and Migrant Pregnancy Study in Western Thailand and Eastern Myanmar.Wellcome open research · 2026Article
- A mixed-methods evaluation of outreach service provision by the "Strengthening Migrant Access to Reproductive Health in Thailand" Initiative, 2020-2024.Frontiers in global women's health · 2026Article
- Sexual and reproductive health implementation research in humanitarian contexts: a scoping review.Reproductive health · 2024Article
- Born too soon in a resource-limited setting: A 10-year mixed methods review of a special care baby unit for refugees and migrants on the Myanmar-Thailand border.Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Scoping Review of Intervention Strategies for Improving Coverage and Uptake of Maternal Nutrition Services in Southeast Asia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Research ethics and refugee health: a review of reported considerations and applications in published refugee health literature, 2015-2018.Conflict and health · 2020Article
- Low Prevalence of Folic Acid Supplementation during Pregnancy: A Multicenter Study in Vietnam.Nutrients · 2019Observational
- Article
- 'Because the baby asks for it': a mixed-methods study on local perceptions toward nutrition during pregnancy among marginalised migrant women along the Myanmar-Thailand border.Global health action · 2018Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesPreconception folic acid (PFA) taken at least 3 months before conception can decrease the incidence of neural tube defects (NTDs) by approximately 46%. NTDs contribute significantly to neonatal morbidity and mortality in migrant and refugee populations on the Thailand-Myanmar border (incidence 1.57/1000 live births). This audit aimed to assess uptake of PFA among migrant and refugee women, evaluate knowledge about PFA among local healthcare workers and implement a participatory community intervention to increase PFA uptake and decrease NTD incidence in this population. STUDY
designA mixed-methods baseline evaluation was followed by an intervention involving health worker education and a community outreach program. A follow-up audit was performed 18 months post-intervention.
methodsData were gathered via surveys, short interviews and focus group discussions. The intervention program included community-based workshops, production and distribution of printed flyers and posters, and outreach to various local organisations.
resultsUptake of PFA was <2% both before and after the intervention. Despite a substantial increase in local healthcare worker knowledge of PFA, no significant improvement in PFA uptake after the intervention was detected. Most pregnancies in this local community sample were reported to be unplanned.
conclusionsHigh rates of NTDs with low PFA uptake remains a major public health challenge in this transient population. Results indicate that improved health worker knowledge alone is not sufficient to enhance PFA uptake in this population. Integration of PFA education within expanded family planning programs and broad-based food fortification may be more effective.
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