Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33287229›Full record

ArticleNutrients2020

Inadequate Status and Low Awareness of Folate in Switzerland-A Call to Strengthen Public Health Measures to Ensure Sufficient Intakes.

Isabelle Herter-Aeberli, Nina Wehrli, Kurt Bärlocher, Maria Andersson, Janice Sych

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nutrients, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.7field-weighted citation impact, top 27% of its field
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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
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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

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Isabelle Herter-AeberliHuman Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.ORCID 0000-0003-0134-6217
Nina WehrliHuman Nutrition Laboratory, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
Kurt BärlocherScientific Board of the Folic Acid Foundation Switzerland, 8370 Sirnach, Switzerland.
Maria AnderssonNutrition Research Unit, Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland.
Janice SychInstitute of Food and Beverage Innovation, ZHAW School of Life Sciences and Facility Management, Einsiedlerstrasse 34, 8820 Waedenswil, Switzerland.
ETH Zurich · CHUniversity Children's Hospital Zurich · CH

Funding

Bundesamt für Lebensmittelsicherheit und Veterinärwesen 0710000xxxSchweizer Folsäures Stiftung none
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFolate plays an essential role in the prevention of neural tube defects, yet little is known about the folate status of women of reproductive age or to what degree the general population is aware of the importance of folate in early-life development. We aimed to determine folate status in women of reproductive age and pregnant women in Switzerland, and to assess folate awareness in the Swiss population.

methodsIn a convenience sample of 171 women of reproductive age and 177 pregnant women throughout Switzerland, we measured red blood cell (RBC) folate concentration. In a second convenience sample (

resultsRBC folate concentration (median interquartile range) was 442 (366, 564) nmol/L in women of reproductive age and 873 (677, 1177) nmol/L in pregnant women. Folate deficiency (RBC folate <340 nmol/L) was found in 19.9% of women of reproductive age and 2.8% of pregnant women, while 91.8% of women of reproductive age and 52.0% of pregnant women showed folate concentrations indicating an elevated risk of neural tube defects (RBC folate <906 nmol/L). The online survey showed that a high proportion (≥88%) of participants were aware of folate's role in neural tube defect (NTD) prevention and fetal development, yet knowledge about dietary sources and national recommendations of folate supplementation when planning pregnancy were limited.

conclusionThe high prevalence of folate inadequacy in Swiss women suggests an elevated risk of neural tube defects and calls for urgent measures to increase folate intakes.

Indexed as

Public HealthAdultDietary SupplementsFemaleFolic AcidFolic Acid DeficiencyHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeural Tube DefectsNutrition TherapyPregnancyPrevalenceSurveys and QuestionnairesSwitzerlandYoung AdultFolic Acidfolate awarenessfolate statusfolic acidneural tube defectspregnancywomen

Identifiers

PMID33287229
PMCPMC7761771
OpenAlexW3110223098

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

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.