Periconceptional folic acid supplementation in a nationally representative sample of mothers

This study reports recent trends in periconceptional folic acid use in Ireland using archived data from Growing Up in Ireland--the National Longitudinal Study of Children. Of a sample of 10,891 mothers, 6,936 (64%) reported taking folic acid before conception and 10,157 (93%) reported taking folic acid during the first trimester of pregnancy. Younger (OR = 0.38, 95% CI = 0.29-0.50), lower income (OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.51-0.68), lower educated (OR = 0.77, 95% CI = 0.66-0.89), and single mothers (OR = 0.46, 95% Cl = 0.40-0.52) were less likely to have taken folic acid pre-conception. A similar pattern was found post-conception with younger (OR = 0.58, 95% Cl = 0.40-0.84), lower income (OR = 0.40, 95% Cl = 0.30-0.53), lower educated (OR = 0.50, 95% Cl = 0.38-0.66), and single mothers (OR = 0.74, 95% CI = 0.60-0.91) less likely to have taken folic acid post-conception. The findings highlight an ongoing need for targeted promotional campaigns to increase supplementation rates among younger and socially disadvantaged mothers.