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Predicting folic acid intake among college students
Susan H Lane1, Annette Hines, Heidi Krowchuk
1Susan H. Lane is an Assistant Professor, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC. She can be reached via e-mail at lanesh@appstate.edu Annette Hines is an Associate Professor, Queens University of Charlotte, Charlotte, NC. Heidi Krowchuk is an Associate Professor, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC.
MCN. the American Journal of Maternal Child Nursing
|December 16, 2014
Summary
Many college students take vitamins, but less than half realize they contain folic acid. Understanding factors like age and gender can help increase folic acid intake to prevent neural tube defects (NTDs).
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Nutrition Science
- Reproductive Health
Background:
- Neural tube defects (NTDs) affect approximately 3,000 US infants annually.
- Folic acid supplementation can decrease NTD incidence by 50-70%.
- Low reported folic acid intake and knowledge among young women highlight a public health gap.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe folic acid consumption patterns in college students.
- To explore correlations between folic acid intake and demographic/lifestyle factors.
- To identify potential strategies for improving folic acid supplementation.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of data from 1,921 college students in North Carolina.
- Descriptive study utilizing pretest/posttest intervention data.
- Surveys included demographics, lifestyle, and folic acid knowledge/consumption questions (adapted from CDC).
Main Results:
- 83.3% of students reported taking multivitamins, but only 47.6% confirmed folic acid content.
- Age, year in college, and gender were associated with vitamin supplement intake.
- Lifestyle factors (alcohol, tobacco use) did not predict folic acid consumption.
Conclusions:
- Targeted marketing and education can improve folic acid supplementation rates.
- Identifying key demographic associations is crucial for intervention design.
- Increased folic acid intake is vital for reducing NTDs.
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