{"paper_id":"1ca37ca8-a410-475d-8735-fad06e3d129f","body_text":"Folic acid supplementation and Neural Tube Defects: Knowledge and practice among pregnant mothers in Lira, northern Uganda | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Folic acid supplementation and Neural Tube Defects: Knowledge and practice among pregnant mothers in Lira, northern Uganda Rebecca Nakaziba, Miriam Muhindo This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-5289658/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 23 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth → Version 1 posted 4 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background and Aim: Folic Acid requirements increase during pregnancy in order to meet the metabolic needs, DNA synthesis, and rapid cell division during fetal development. Low levels of folate before and during pregnancy augment the chances of poor pregnancy outcomes, like neural tube defects. In sub-Saharan Africa, very few pregnant women take folic acid pre- and post-conception. In Uganda, 1400 children are born with spinal bifida annually yet taking 400 micrograms daily of folic acid, before and during early pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects. This study intended to explore the level of knowledge and practices of pregnant mothers regarding folic acid supplementation in preventing neural tube defects in Lira, northern Uganda. Study Design: This study employed a quantitative and descriptive approach of data collection and analysis. A consecutive sampling technique was employed to recruit and interview 199 respondents. SPSS V20 was used for data entry and statistical analysis for frequencies, and percentages. Correlation and chi-square tests were used to determine the association between knowledge and practices of folic acid supplementation for prevention of neural tube defects among pregnant mothers. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was statistically significant. Results The knowledge level regarding Folic acid was adequate. 88% ever heard of it; 73.0% knew its benefits, but only 20.1% knew that it prevents neural tube defects; 83.9% were currently taking while only 18.0% took it before conception. In addition, the practice of Folic acid supplementation was significantly associated with cues to action (p = 0.000) and perceived risk (p = 0.000) while knowledge was significantly associated with practice (p = 0.000). Conclusion Very few mothers knew the value of Folic acid in preventing neural tube defects with very low pre-conception intake. Strategies should be designed to improve the knowledge regarding the role of folic acid in averting neural tube defects among women of childbearing age. These women should be encouraged to take Folic acid pre and post-conception, especially in the first trimester. Neural Tube defects folic acid supplementation pregnant mothers Lira Uganda Figures Figure 1 Background Vitamin B9 (folic acid, FA) is essential for various body functions [ 1 ]. It is required in the human body for biosynthesis, repair and methylation of DNA, plus serving as a co-factor in biological reactions [ 2 ]. The body’s requirements for folic acid increase in pregnancy to meet the metabolic needs, DNA synthesis, and rapid cell division during fetal development [ 3 ]. Research shows that women who consume low levels of folate before and during pregnancy have a greater likelihood of poor pregnancy outcomes such as neural tube defects [NTDs] [ 4 ]. Unfortunately, in sub-Saharan Africa, very few pregnant women take folic acid during pregnancy [ 5 , 6 ]. Folic acid obtained as a supplement is important in averting the occurrence and reoccurrence of NTDs in families with a history of NTDs [ 7 – 9 ]. The World Health Organization (WHO), Ministry of Health (MOH) and other organizations recommend the use of FA before and after conception because of its proven benefit in preventing NTDs [ 10 ]. Neural tube defects (NTDS) are congenital abnormalities caused by failed closure of the embryonic neural tube by day 28 of pregnancy [ 11 ]. Whereas the incidence of NTDs is around 1/1000 in the United States, it is 3 to 5-fold higher in Northern China and 3-fold higher in India [ 12 ]. The prevalence of NTDs was estimated at 9.0 and 11.7 per 10,000 births in European countries and Africa, respectively [ 13 ]. In Uganda, 1400 children are born with spinal bifida every year, and this prevalence rate is most likely increased due to a lack of folic acid supplementation (FAS) by pregnant mothers before and during pregnancy [ 14 ]. Studies in the UK revealed that FA knowledge and pre-conceptional use for NTD prevention varied by ethnicity [ 15 ]. A study conducted in Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates, indicated that the majority (79.1%) of mothers had heard of FA, while 66.7% reported that they knew its importance in pregnancy, and among them, only 46.6% had accurate knowledge about the role of FA in the prevention of NTDs. In this study, however, only 7.8% of the women took FAS before pregnancy, 65.3% took it after the first trimester, but the majority (78.2%) took it daily in its recommended doses [ 16 ]. In a related study conducted in Australia, most mothers took FA during pregnancy in its recommended doses; 64% of the mothers took dietary FAS before conception, whereas 61% took pre-conceptional FA tablets, with 57% taking the recommended dosage of 400 mcg daily [ 17 ]. A study conducted in India found out that the practice of folic acid supplementation was still low (6%) especially before pregnancy [ 18 ]. In a comparable study conducted among pregnant mothers in Gulu District, Northern Uganda; only 33.5% had ever heard about spinal bifida (S.B); 1% knew that FAS can prevent S.B: 50.5% took FA; none took FAS pre-conception, while only 8.1% took during the first trimester [ 19 ]. Further, in a similar study conducted in Lira district (Northern Uganda), adherence to FAS was 46% with none pre-conceptional [ 20 ]. Despite the recommendations by the WHO and the Ministry of Health, FAS before conception still remains low in Uganda, with most regions registering 0% [ 19 ]. This predisposes the newborns to NTDs and other congenital abnormalities. The current study was intended to investigate the level of knowledge and practices of pregnant mothers regarding folic acid supplementation and neural tube defects. Methods Study design and site : The study employed descriptive and quantitative approaches to minimize bias and maximize reliability. This study was conducted at the antenatal care (ANC) clinic of Lira Regional Referral Hospital (LRRH), Lira City, Northern Uganda. This hospital serves an estimated population of 439,200 [21] and has an annual antenatal attendance of 4,906 [22]. At LRRH, 20 babies were born with NTDs in the years 2016 and 2017, of which half died before discharge due to the associated complications [23]. Study Population and sampling: The study was conducted among pregnant mothers (Para 1 and above) who had attended the ANC clinic more than once at LRRH, were in good health, and consented to participate in the study. The sample size (199) was calculated and adjusted using the monthly attendance of 4906 mothers based on the formula described in Methodology [24]. Procedure: Data were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire to minimize errors by probing and recording only valid data [25]. The data collection tool was designed to collect: participant demographics, knowledge regarding FAS and NTDs, the practice of FAS, and the factors that influence FAS. Consecutive sampling was used to enroll and collect data from pregnant mothers who had come for their ANC visit during the data collection period after the acquisition of consent until the required sample size was achieved. Data processing and analysis: The completed questionnaires were coded, and the data was entered into the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20 for analysis while excluding inconsistent data. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to describe mothers' demographic characteristics, knowledge and practices, while correlation, chi-square test, and regression analysis were used to identify factors influencing FAS among mothers. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was statistically significant. Knowledge was measured as High level/adequate knowledge (50% to 100%) or Low level/inadequate knowledge ( ≤ 49%); while practice was measured as best practice (50%–100%) and poor practice (≤ 49%). Ethical issues: The study was approved by the Lira University Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery Research Ethics Committee and participation was voluntary following informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsink. Results Socio-demographics A total of 199 respondents were interviewed most of whom were 26-30 years (35.2%); married (87.9%); had attained tertiary education (41.7%); had informal employment (53.8%); from urban areas 81.4%; and had 0–5 pregnancies 64.3% (Table 1). Table 1 : Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents Variable Frequency Percentage (%) Age 15-20 17 8.5 20-25 65 32.7 26-30 70 35.2 31-35 35 17.6 36-40 12 6.0 Marital status Married 175 87.9 Single 13 6.5 Divorced 9 4.5 Separated 2 1.0 Level of education No formal education 6 3.0 Primary 33 16.6 Secondary 77 38.7 Tertiary 83 41.7 Occupation Formal employment 31 15.6 Non informal employment 107 53.8 Peasant 58 29.1 Student 3 1.5 Address Urban 162 81.4 Rural 37 18.6 Previous pregnancies 0-5 81 64.3 6-8 45 35.7 Knowledge regarding folic acid supplementation and NTDs A majority (88.4%) of the respondents reported having ever heard about FA; 89.2% correctly described FA; 73.0% knew the benefits of FAS, of which only 20.1% knew that it prevents NTDs; 67.3% knew the correct time to take FA but only 15.0% said before pregnancy; 76.9% mentioned the correct dose. 20.6% had heard about NTDs but only 36.4% explained correctly what NTDs are while 3.0% had a family history of NTDs (Table 2). Table 2 : Showing knowledge regarding FAS and NTDs Variable Frequency Percentages Ever heard of FA Yes 176 88.4 No 23 11.6 What is folic acid? Correct answer 132 89.2 Incorrect answer 16 10.8 Do you know the benefits of FAS Yes 147 73.9 No 52 26.1 If yes, mention the benefits Prevents NTDs 29 20.1 Increases blood in the body 101 70.1 Food supplement 5 3.5 Incorrect answer 9 6.3 Are you aware of women who need FAS? Yes 155 77.9 No 40 20.1 Do you know the correct time to take FA? Yes 134 67.3 No 33 16.6 Don’t know 32 16.1 If yes, when? Before pregnancy 19 15.0 First trimester 81 63.8 >Twelve weeks 26 20.5 Are you aware of the correct dose of FA? Yes 156 78.4 No 24 12.1 If yes, mention the dose? Correct dose 153 76.9 Incorrect dose 3 1.5 Have you ever heard of NTDs? Yes 41 20.6 No 158 79.4 If yes, explain briefly? Correct answer 15 36.4 Incorrect answer 26 63.6 Have you or your relative ever delivered a child with NTDs? Yes 7 3.0 No 192 96.5 Overall knowledge The overall knowledge in this study indicates that the majority (58.8%) of the respondents had adequate knowledge regarding FAS. This was generated from the questions that measured knowledge during data collection (Table 3). Table 3: Showing the overall knowledge Variable Frequencies Percentage (%) Overall knowledge Adequate knowledge 50-100% 117 58.8 Inadequate knowledge 0-49% 82 41.2 Source of information regarding FA The majority (84%) said they got information from midwives and nurses (Figure i). Practice regarding FAS Most (84.4%) of the respondents had accessed FA tablets since they became pregnant; 82.6% received FA tablets from public hospital pharmacies; 83.9% were taking FA tablets during the current pregnancy; 63.5% started taking during the first trimester, and 18.0% started taking before conception; only 64.3% were taking daily while 15.1% were not taking at all. Of those who were not taking FA daily, 78.6% were due to forgetfulness; while for those who were not taking FA tablets at all, 81.8% were due to stockouts (Table 4). Table 4: Showing practice regarding FAS Variable Frequency Percentage Accessed to FA tablets since conception Yes 168 84.4 No 30 15.1 If no, what are the reasons? Was not provided 21 77.8 Don't know 6 22.2 If yes, supplement to diet or medicine? Supplement 167 99.4 Medicine 1 .6 Source of FA tablets? Public hospital pharmacy 138 82.6 Private hospital pharmacy 8 4.8 Business owned pharmacy 21 12.6 Taking FA tablets in current pregnancy? Yes 167 83.9 No 29 14.6 Don't know 2 1.0 If yes, when did you start taking FA tablets? Before pregnancy 30 18.0 First trimester 106 63.5 Second trimester 31 18.6 How do you take FAS? Daily 128 64.3 Not daily 41 20.6 Not at all 30 15.1 What are the reasons of not taking daily Forgetfulness 33 78.6 Side effects 6 14.3 Lack of money to buy FA 3 7.1 If you don't take at all, why? Don't like drugs 2 6.1 Out of stocks and lack money 27 81.8 was not advised to buy 4 12.1 Overall practice regarding FAS Overall, 77.4% had best practice. This was generated from the questions that measured practice (Table 5) Table 5: Showing overall practice Variable Frequencies Percentages (%) Overall practice Best practice 50-100% 154 77.4 Poor practice <50 45 22.6 Perceived susceptibility, severity and challenges This study found that the majority 73.6 %) of the respondents felt that they were at risk of getting complications/health problems during this pregnancy or after birth if they don't take FA; 61.5 % reported that both mother and baby will be affected because FA prevents the mother from anemia and the baby from congenital abnormalities like spinal bifida; 73.5 % felt that the mother may die of bleeding after birth and the baby may die of congenital abnormalities like spinal bifida (13.5 %). 73.6 % reported challenges in acquiring FA tablets like out of stocks of folic acid and expenses (Table 6) Table 6 : Showing perceived susceptibility/risk, severity, and challenges of respondents Variables Frequency Percentage Perceived risk if you don't take FA? Yes 145 73.6 No 52 26.4 Who is likely to be affected by the health problem that may arise during this pregnancy and after birth? Mother 20 13.7 Baby 37 25.3 Both 89 61.0 If mother, give reasons Anaemia 14 82.4 Not sure 3 17.6 If baby, give reasons Prevents abnormalities 18 62.1 Not sure 10 34.5 If both give reasons Protects from abnormalities and mother from anaemia 40 61.5 Not sure 25 38.5 Health problems that can arise during this pregnancy would be serious if FA is not taken Yes 139 73.5 No 50 26.5 If yes, why? Mother may die of bleeding 64 86.5 Death due to abnormalities like spinal bifida 10 13.5 If no, why? Folic acid has less importance 3 14.3 Not sure 18 85.7 Do you face any challenges/barriers in acquiring FA tablets? Yes 145 72.9 No 45 22.6 If yes, which one? Out of stocks of folic acid and expenses 109 73.6 Long distances 6 4.1 Insufficient instructions from health workers 33 22.3 Factors that influence Folic Acid Supplementation among pregnant mothers Factors associated with knowledge Knowledge had a significant relationship with occupation (p=0.001), marital status (p=0.052), cues to action (p=0 .000), perceived risk (p=0.000) but not significantly associated with age (p=0.009), education level (p=0.413), address (p=0.643), previous pregnancies (p=0.000), average household monthly income (p=0.808) . There were 2 times and 10 times likelihood for mothers who are employed (OR=2.880, 95% CI=1.548-5.359), and those who perceive a risk (OR=10.131, 95% CI=4.738-21.663) to have adequate knowledge regarding FAS respectively (Table 7) Table 7: Showing relation of social demographic characteristic with knowledge Variable Overall knowledge level Chi-square P-value Odds ratio 95%confidence interval Adequate knowledge Inadequate knowledge Lower Upper Age 15-30 84 (55.3%) 68 (44.7%) 2.723 0.099 .524 0.260 1.058 31-40 33(70.2%) 14 (29.8%) Education level Non formal 5(83.3%) 1(16.7%) 0.671 0.413 0.404** 0.415 31.544 Formal education 112(58.0%) 81(42.0%) Marital status Married 98(56.0%) 77(44.0%) 3.768 0.052* .335 0.120 0.938 Not married 19(79.2%) 5(20.8%) Occupation Employed 92(66.7%) 46(33.3%) 10.482 0.001* 2.880 1.548 5.359 Not employed 25(41.0%) 36(59.0%) Address Urban 97(59.9) 65(40.1) 0.215 0.643 1.268 0.618 2.603 Rural 20(54.1) 17(45.9) Previous pregnancies 0-5 49(60.5%) 32(39.5%) 0.000 1.000 .930 0.439 1.967 6-8 28(62.2%) 17(37.8%) Monthly income 5000-500000 84(57.9) 61(42.1) 0.059 0.808 .876 0.463 1.660 >500000 33(61.1) 21(38.9) Source of information Media & friends 8(27.6%) 2(72.4%) 12.181 0.000* .213 0.089 0.510 H/W & family members 109(64.1%) 61(35.9%) Perceived risk Yes 106(73.1%) 39(26.9%) 40.701 0.000* 10.131 4.738 21.663 No 11(21.2%) 41(78.8%) Factors associated with practice Practice regarding FAS was significantly associated with Cues to action (p=0.000), perceived risk (p=0.000) but not significantly associated with age (p=0.100), Educational level (p=1.000), marital status (p=0.316), occupation (p=0.320), address (0.954), average household monthly income (p=0.073) and previous pregnancies (p=0.618). Mothers who stayed in urban areas were 1.1 times more likely to have best practice regarding FAS compared to those who had no formal education (OR=1.477, 95% CI=.167-12.973). Those who perceived risk were 7 times more likely to have best practices compared to those who perceived no risk (OR=7.529, 95% CI=3.583-15.822) (Table 8). Table 8: Showing relation between social demographics and practice Variable Overall practice Chi- square P-value OR 95% CI Best practice Poor practice Lower Upper Age 15-30 113(74.3%) 39(25.7%) 2.713 0.100 0.424 .167 1.076 31-40 41(87.2%) 6(12.8%) Educational level Informal 5(83.3%) 1(16.7%) 0.000 1.000 1.000** 0.168 12.973 Formal education 149(77.2%) 44(22.8%) Marital status Married 133(76.0%) 21(24.0%) 1.006 0.316 .452 .129 1.592 Not married 21(87.5%) 3(12.5%) Occupation Employed 110(79.7%) 28(20.3%) 0.989 0.320 1.518 .756 3.047 Not employed 44(72.1%) 17(27.9%) Address Urban 126(77.8%) 36(22.2) 0.003 0.954 1.125 0.487 2.599 Rural 28(75.7%) 9(24.3) Monthly income 5000-500000 107 (73.8%) 38 (26.2%) 3.223 0.073 0.419 .175 1.007 >5000000 47 (87.0%) 7(13.0%) Previous pregnancies 0-5 66 (81.5%) 15(18.5%) 0.249 0.618 0.677 .243 1.889 6-8 39(86.7%) 6(13.3%) Cues to action Media, articles and friends 10(34.5%) 19(65.5%) 32.896 0.000* 0.095 0.040 0.227 H/W and family members 144(84.7%) 26(15.3%) Perceived risk Yes 128(88.3%) 17(11.7%) 30.657 0.000* 7.529 3.583 15.822 No 26(50.0%) 26(50.0%) Challenges faced in accessing FA Out of stocks and expenses 83 (76.1) 26 (23.9) 0.000 0.995 1.101 .474 2.557 Long distances &insufficient instructions 29 (74.4) 10 (25.6) *Significant value, ** fisher’s exact test Knowledge versus Practice Knowledge was significantly associated with practice (p=0.000), mothers who had adequate knowledge were 6 times more likely to have best practice (OR=6.826, 95% CI=3.190-14.604) (Table 9) Table 9: Showing relationship between knowledge and practice Variable Overall practice Chi-square P-value OR CI Best practice Poor practice Overall knowledge Adequate knowledge 106 (90.6) 11 (9.4) 26.517 0.000 6.826 3.190-14.604 Inadequate knowledge 48 (58.5% ) 34(41.5%) Discussion The knowledge level regarding Folic acid supplementation was adequate. The study respondents had ever heard of folic acid and many knew its benefits. However, very few knew that it prevents neural tube defects. The majority were currently taking Folic acid while only a limited number took it before conception. There was a significant relationship between knowledge and occupation, marital status, cues to action plus perceived risk. Mothers who are employed, staying in urban areas, and perceived risk were more likely to have adequate knowledge regarding folic acid. In addition, the practice of Folic acid supplementation was significantly associated with Cues to action and perceived risk. Mothers who stayed in urban areas and who perceived a risk were more likely to have best practices regarding FAS. Knowledge was significantly associated with practice with mothers who had adequate knowledge being more likely to have best practice. In this study, the knowledge level of mothers regarding FAS was adequate (58.8%). A majority (88.4%) of the mothers reported having ever heard of FA; 73.9% reported that they knew its benefit in pregnancy but among them, only 20.1% explained correctly the role of FAS in preventing NTDs. This finding is in line with a study that was conducted in Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates which indicated that the majority (79.1%) of mothers had heard of FA, 66.7% knew its importance in pregnancy, and prevention of NTDs (46.6% ) [ 16 ]. This could be attributed to the wide spread of information on mass and social media since both studies were conducted among the educated majority of pregnant mothers. This study also found that 67.3% of the mothers knew the correct time to take FA, although only 15.05% said before conception. This percentage is lower than the 29.5% pre-conception intake reported in Arab countries [ 16 ] probably due to insufficient explanation by the health workers and poor pre-conception counseling in the current study setting. Developing countries should adopt preconception counseling to enable potential mothers to prepare for their newborns. This study reports 63.8% of mothers taking FA in the first trimester. This finding is closely related to the study in Arab countries where 65% of mothers took FA in the first trimester. This is probably due to the worldwide recommendation and promotion of FAS during pregnancy [ 4 ]. Most ministries of health in developed and developing countries have embraced the WHO recommendation of FAS before and during pregnancy. However, 32.7% did not know the proper time to take FA, although 76.9% knew the correct dose. This indicates a failure of understanding by the mothers perhaps due to a lack of details during the health education talks at ANC visits. This finding was also close to that of the Arab countries which indicated 78% mothers taking FAS daily in the recommended doses [ 16 ] probably due to the widespread knowledge regarding FAS. Some pregnant mothers in this study did report that they had acquired this information mostly from midwives and nurses at health facilities (84%) which agrees with a similar study that was conducted in Iran [ 26 ]. Health workers are doing fairly well by informing mothers about FA. In the present study, 20.6% had heard of NTDs like S.B. which is in agreement with the findings of the study conducted in Gulu district northern Uganda that reported 33.5% of the mothers heard ever heard about S.B. [ 19 ]. Globally, mothers undergo health education during ANC visits. This is why the majority have the right information regarding FAS. The findings of this study indicated that 70.1% of the mothers said that FA increases blood in the body which agrees with the findings of Greenberg and others [ 27 ]who reported that FA has been proven to reduce anemia. Moreover, usually FA is supplemented along with iron hence relieving anemia. In the present study, the practice regarding FAS was good with the majority (77.4%) of mothers having good practice. However, of the majority (83.9%) of mothers that were taking FA, only 18.0% took before pregnancy whereas 63.5% and 18.6% took during the first and second trimester respectively. These findings are lower compared to those reported in Durham County, Northern Carolina where it was indicated that 51% and 66% took FA before and during pregnancy respectively [ 28 ]. This variation might be probably due to lack of pre-conception counseling about FA, drug stockouts, and insufficient funds to buy FA. On the other hand, these findings are in line with results reported in the United Arab Emirates and Libya where only 7.8% and 6% took FAS pre-conception respectively, while 65.3% took during the first trimester [ 16 , 29 ]. Further, the study revealed that the majority (64.3%) of the pregnant mothers were taking FA daily and in its recommended doses while 20.6% were not taking it daily and 15.1% were not taking at all. This finding agrees with a study in the United Arab Emirates that reported 78.2% taking FA daily with 76.7% in its recommended doses while in Libya, 27% did not take FA at all [ 16 , 18 ]. On the contrary, the findings of this study differ from the findings of a study conducted in Gulu district, Northern Uganda where none of the mothers took FA pre-conceptional. There is a perceived lack of information regarding the pre-conceptional benefits of FAS. No wonder not many mothers practice it. In the present study, the mother’s occupation greatly influenced FAS (p = 0.001), which did agree with related studies which depicted that employment status greatly impacted knowledge [ 30 – 33 ] Findings of this study showed that the mother’s age (p = 0.099), previous pregnancies(p = 1.000), the level of education(p = 0.413), physical address (urban/rural) (p = 0.643), time and distance to reach the nearest health facility (p = 0.394) had no association with FAS. These findings contradicted with related studies [ 30 , 33 , 34 ] which indicated that age < 35 and parity < 3, physical address, level of education positively influenced FAS. This difference could be attributed to the fact that the present study was conducted in an urban setting where most of the mothers were educated. Although Riazi and others reported that mothers who are educated get more information regarding FAS from reading literature compared to the un-educated who depend on health workers for information [ 26 ]; the findings of this study indicated that mothers got information from health workers and family members (p = 0.000) which might have been due to continuous health talks at the health facilities during ANC visits. According to the current study, the income level of the mother had no significant relationship with knowledge regarding FAS (p = 0.808). This finding is in disagreement with Kim and others whose finding revealed that low household income had a negative impact on FAS [ 35 ]. This variation could be due to the fact that most mothers in this study got their FA tablets from government health facilities. Furthermore, reports from studies indicated that the fear of the risk of health problems when FA is not taken during pregnancy had a significant relation with FAS (p = 0.000) [ 33 ]. Mothers fear for their babies to get birthdefects. The present findings also revealed that cues to action/ source of information (p = 0.000) and perceived risk (0.000) had a significant relationship with practice regarding FAS [ 33 ]. Some mothers in this study reported factors that negatively affect their FAS like forgetfulness, drug stockouts, long distances, expenses, the insufficient instructions from health workers which corresponded to the findings of a related study in India where forgetfulness and inadequate counseling from health workers affected FAS [ 36 ]. In addition fluctuation in supplies and failure to distribute drugs are some of the barriers to FAS reported [ 37 ]. This may be probably due to failure to prioritize the health sector especially maternal and child health and lack of awareness by the policy makers regarding the importance of FAS. The findings of this study however, demonstrated that these challenges had no significant relationship on FAS (p = 0.099). Lastly, this study found that knowledge has a significant association with practice regarding FAS (p = 0.000). The mothers who had access to FAS information practiced it. Therefore, health workers and governments should endeavor to provide detailed FAS information to mothers to enable good practices. The low knowledge regarding the relevance of FAS in preventing NTDs reflects deficiencies in information delivery by health workers to pregnant mothers especially during ANC visits. Since knowledge influences practice, health workers should endeavor to avail all necessary information to the clients to ensure good practice. Moreover, the failure to practice FAS due to stockouts and fluctuations in supply should be checked by policymakers well knowing the clinical implications of missing FAS, especially during the first trimester. Maternal and child health ought to be prioritized to avert the complications of congenital abnormalities. Professional education is needed for the health care providers on the value of FAS before and during pregnancy. Involve the media regularly to address a wide range of people. The majority of the mothers in the present study did not know the role of folic acid in averting NTDs. Research should be conducted to identify why mothers are not aware of such precious information. In addition, most mothers did not practice pre-conceptional FAS. Investigations into why this is so especially in sub-Saharan Africa is warranted. More studies are needed to establish effective approaches to improve FA awareness among women of childbearing age. Wheres this study was conducted among pregnant mothers, the population that is mostly affected by FA deficiencies; it was only conducted at one health facility. The situation could be different if other facilities were also investigated. Conclusion and recommendations The mothers in the present had adequate knowledge regarding FA .Majority had ever heard of FA; knew the benefits and correct time to take FA; the correct dose and food sources for FA. However, only a few were aware of the role of FA in preventing NTDs. The practice regarding FAS was good with most mothers taking FA on a daily basis, in its recommended doses, and a significant number took it in first trimester. Unfortunately only a small percentage took FA before conception. Occupation, cues to action and perceived risk were significantly associated with knowledge and practice. Moreover, knowledge influenced practice. All potential mothers should be educated on the role folic acid in the prevention of NTDs and encouraged to practice pre-conceptional FAS Strength and limitations of the study The study was conducted among pregnant mothers who are directly affected by the negative pregnancy outcomes such as NTD. Moreover, the study location is grossily affected by NTDs. Unfortunately, the study was conducted at only one health facility (Lira regional referral hospital). The findings could be different if multiple health facilities in the region were studied. Declarations Ethics approval and consent to participate: Ethical approval was obtained from the faculty of nursing and midwifery and consent to participate was sought from each participant and they were required to sign a consent form before recruitment. Only adult participants (18 years and above) were recruited in the study Consent for publication: Not appliacabe Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interest Funding : The study received no specific funding Author Contribution \"MM-conception, methods, data collection, analysis; RN- methods, supervision, manuscript draft and review. All authors approved the final submission\" Acknowledgement \"The study participants for willingness to participate and patience\" Data Availability \"Available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request\" References Hisam, A., M.U. Rahman, and S.F. Mashhadi, Knowledge, attitude and practices regarding foilic acid deficiency; Ahidden hunger. PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE, 2014: p. 583-588. Hisam, A., Rahman, M. U., & Mashhadi, S. F. , Knowledge, attitude and practice regarding folic acid deficiency; A hidden hunger. . Pakistan journal of medical sciences, , 2014. 30 (3): p. 583. 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International journal of environmental research and public health, 2013. 10 (9): p. 4352-4389. de La Fournière, B., Dhombres, F., Maurice, P., de Foucaud, S., Lallemant, P., Zérah, M., ... & Jouannic, J. M. , Prevention of neural tube defects by folic acid supplementation: a national population-based study. . Nutrients, 12, 2020(10): p. 3170. Garrett, G.S., & Bailey, L. B. , A public health approach for preventing neural tube defects: folic acid fortification and beyond. . Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2018. 1414 (1): p. 47-58. Gomes, S., Lopes, C., & Pinto, E. , Folate and folic acid in the periconceptional period: recommendations from official health organizations in thirty-six countries worldwide and WHO. . Public health nutrition, 2016. 19 (1): p. 176-189. Peake, J.N., A.J. Copp, and J. Shawe, Knowledge and Periconceptional Use of Folic Acid for the Prevention of Neural Tube Defects in Ethnic Communities in the United Kingdom: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Clinical and Molecular Teratology, 2013. 97 : p. 444-451. Chitayat, D., et al., Folic Acid Supplementation for Pregnant Women and Those Planning Pregnancy:2015 Update. The Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2015: p. 170-175. Zaganjor, I., et al., Describing the Prevalence of Neural Tube Defects Worldwide: A systematic Literature Review. PLOS ONE, 2016. 11 (4). Warf, B.C., E.J. Wright, and A.V. Kulkar, Factors affecting survival of infants with myelomeningocelein southeastern Uganda. JOURNAL OF NEUROSURGERY, 2011. 116 (5): p. 127-133. Peake, J.N., Prevention of neural tube defects (NTDs) in ethnic communities in the UK: NTD epidemiology and pre-pregnancy knowledge, attitudes and health behaviour (Doctoral dissertation, UCL (University College London), 2016. Hamamy, H., Epidemiological profile of neural tube defects in Arab countries. . Middle East Journal of Medical Genetics 2014. 3 (1): p. 1-10. Malek, L., et al., Poor adherence to folic acid and iodine supplement recommendations in preconception andpregnancy: a cross-sectional analysis. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, 2016. 40 (5): p. 426-9. Abdulmalek, L.J., Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Regarding Folic Acid amongPregnant Women in Benghazi, Libya. Ibnosina Journal of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (2017), 2017: p. 67-71. Bannink, F., Larok, R., Kirabira, P., Bauwens, L., & Van Hove, G. , Prevention of spina bifida: folic acid intake during pregnancy in Gulu district, northern Uganda. . Pan African Medical Journal, , 2015. 20 (1). R, S.U.a.N., Adherence to iron and folic acid supplementation and associated factors among mothers receiving antenatal care in Lira district,Uganda. TMR Nursing Communications 2023. 7 : p. e2023021. Brinkhoff, T., Lira Disrict Population Statistics . 2017, Uganda Bureau of statistics: Kampala. Lira Regional Referral Hospital Profile . 2017, USAID Strengthening Uganda's Systems For Treating AIDS Nationally(SUSTAIN): Kampala. HMIS FORM 108, health unit inpatient monthly report . 2016, 2017, LRRH. Methodology, S., Sampling methods and sample size calculation for SMART methodology . 2012. Whiting, L.S., Semi-structured interviews: Guidance for novice researchers. Nursing standard, 2008. 22 (23). Riazi, H., S. Bashirian, and L. Amini, Awareness of Pregnant Women about Folic Acid Supplementation in Iran. Journal of Family and Reproductive Health, 2012: p. 159-163. Greenberg, J.A., Bell, S. J., Guan, Y., & Yu, Y. H. , Folic acid supplementation and pregnancy: more than just neural tube defect prevention. . Reviews in obstetrics and gynecology, 2011. 4 (2): p. 52. Hoyo, C., et al., Folic acid supplementation before and during pregnancy in the Newborn Epigenetics STudy (NEST). BMC Public Health 2011,, 2011: p. 1471-2458. Abdulmalek, L., Influence of folic acid on pregnancy outcome: Review study. . Libyan Journal of Science &Technology, , 2017 5 (2). Mithra, P., Unnikrishnan, B., Rekha, T., Nithin, K., Mohan, K., Kulkarni, V., ... & Agarwal, D. , Compliance with iron-folic acid (IFA) therapy among pregnant women in an urban area of south India. . African health sciences, , 2014. 14 (1): p. 255-260. Chourasia, A., Pandey, C. M., & Awasthi, A. , Factors influencing the consumption of iron and folic acid supplementations in high focus states of India. . Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health, 2017. 5 (4): p. 180-184. Niguse, W., Adherence rate to iron folic acid supplementation among pregnant women. . BioRxiv, 2019: p. 535534. Saragih, I.D., Dimog, E. F., Saragih, I. S., & Lin, C. J. , Adherence to Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (IFAS) intake among pregnant women: A systematic review meta-analysis. . Midwifery, 2022. 104 p. 103185. Siekmans, K., Roche, M., Kung'u, J. K., Desrochers, R. E., & De‐Regil, L. M., Barriers and enablers for iron folic acid (IFA) supplementation in pregnant women. . Maternal & Child Nutrition, 2018. 14 : p. e12532. Kim, M.W., Ahn, K. H., Ryu, K. J., Hong, S. C., Lee, J. S., Nava-Ocampo, A. A., ... & Kim, H. J. , Preventive effects of folic acid supplementation on adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. . PLoS One, 2014. 9 (5): p. e97273. Mithra , P., et al., Compliance with iron-folic acid (IFA) therapy among pregnant women in an urban area of south India. African Health Sciences 2013, 2013: p. 880 - 885. Lacerte, P., et al., Determinants of Adherence to Iron/Folate Supplementation During Pregnancy in Two Provinces in Cambodia. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 2011. 23 (3): p. 315-23. Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 23 Jan, 2026 Read the published version in BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 24 Oct, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 22 Oct, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 22 Oct, 2024 First submitted to journal 18 Oct, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About In Review Editorial Policies Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {\"props\":{\"pageProps\":{\"initialData\":{\"identity\":\"rs-5289658\",\"acceptedTermsAndConditions\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"archivedVersions\":[],\"articleType\":\"Research Article\",\"associatedPublications\":[],\"authors\":[{\"id\":369841190,\"identity\":\"82226e92-61d4-4b1a-8cce-ae2141c80f40\",\"order_by\":0,\"name\":\"Rebecca Nakaziba\",\"email\":\"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA9UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACZiCWSGBgb244AOKyEa+F5yBpWhgSGCQSG4hzlfns5scGP/5Y5PHPfNh4uKLmcB4fA/PDD4xttTi1yNw5ZpzYwyNRLHE7seHgmWOHi9kY2IwlGNuO49QiIZFgfIBHAugqkJYGtsOJbQwMZgyMbcfwaEn/fPCPgUTi/JsHgVr+gbSwfyOgJcc4mSdBInHDDcaGg41tIC08IFtq8GkpNpY5IFFseAbosMa+9MQ2Zp5iiYRzB/A5bLPkmz91eXLHDx/+2PDNOnF+e/vGDx/K6nBqwQJA8ZTAcJgULRBAki2jYBSMglEwvAEAbMNWstNh0D0AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Lira University\",\"correspondingAuthor\":true,\"submittingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Rebecca\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Nakaziba\",\"suffix\":\"\"},{\"id\":369841191,\"identity\":\"6a1a5fd1-87d2-4e99-b79d-8ad7a9c5ce7b\",\"order_by\":1,\"name\":\"Miriam Muhindo\",\"email\":\"\",\"orcid\":\"\",\"institution\":\"Lira University\",\"correspondingAuthor\":false,\"submittingAuthor\":false,\"prefix\":\"\",\"firstName\":\"Miriam\",\"middleName\":\"\",\"lastName\":\"Muhindo\",\"suffix\":\"\"}],\"badges\":[],\"createdAt\":\"2024-10-18 13:08:42\",\"currentVersionCode\":1,\"declarations\":\"\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5289658/v1\",\"doiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5289658/v1\",\"draftVersion\":[],\"editorialEvents\":[{\"content\":\"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-026-08668-3\",\"type\":\"published\",\"date\":\"2026-01-23T15:58:04+00:00\"}],\"editorialNote\":\"\",\"failedWorkflow\":false,\"files\":[{\"id\":68689492,\"identity\":\"b7bc863c-6eb3-4751-adf6-fc8b5e433aa4\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2024-11-11 05:35:14\",\"extension\":\"png\",\"order_by\":1,\"title\":\"Figure 1\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"figure\",\"size\":53056,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eInformation source\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"1.png\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5289658/v1/b5817ad091b71432afe85bd1.png\"},{\"id\":101153274,\"identity\":\"71079bd3-8f9c-4619-a124-736542958200\",\"added_by\":\"auto\",\"created_at\":\"2026-01-26 16:14:33\",\"extension\":\"pdf\",\"order_by\":0,\"title\":\"\",\"display\":\"\",\"copyAsset\":false,\"role\":\"manuscript-pdf\",\"size\":1485220,\"visible\":true,\"origin\":\"\",\"legend\":\"\",\"description\":\"\",\"filename\":\"manuscript.pdf\",\"url\":\"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-5289658/v1/a0a2657d-49fd-4dfe-b790-3dc335674e71.pdf\"}],\"financialInterests\":\"No competing interests reported.\",\"formattedTitle\":\"Folic acid supplementation and Neural Tube Defects: Knowledge and practice among pregnant mothers in Lira, northern Uganda\",\"fulltext\":[{\"header\":\"Background\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eVitamin B9 (folic acid, FA) is essential for various body functions [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR1\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e1\\u003c/span\\u003e]. It is required in the human body for biosynthesis, repair and methylation of DNA, plus serving as a co-factor in biological reactions [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR2\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e2\\u003c/span\\u003e]. The body\\u0026rsquo;s requirements for folic acid increase in pregnancy to meet the metabolic needs, DNA synthesis, and rapid cell division during fetal development [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR3\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e3\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Research shows that women who consume low levels of folate before and during pregnancy have a greater likelihood of poor pregnancy outcomes such as neural tube defects [NTDs] [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR4\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e4\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Unfortunately, in sub-Saharan Africa, very few pregnant women take folic acid during pregnancy [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR5\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e5\\u003c/span\\u003e, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR6\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e6\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Folic acid obtained as a supplement is important in averting the occurrence and reoccurrence of NTDs in families with a history of NTDs [\\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\\\"CR8\\\" citationid=\\\"CR7\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e7\\u003c/span\\u003e\\u0026ndash;\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR9\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e9\\u003c/span\\u003e]. The World Health Organization (WHO), Ministry of Health (MOH) and other organizations recommend the use of FA before and after conception because of its proven benefit in preventing NTDs [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR10\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e10\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Neural tube defects (NTDS) are congenital abnormalities caused by failed closure of the embryonic neural tube by day 28 of pregnancy [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR11\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e11\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Whereas the incidence of NTDs is around 1/1000 in the United States, it is 3 to 5-fold higher in Northern China and 3-fold higher in India [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR12\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e12\\u003c/span\\u003e]. The prevalence of NTDs was estimated at 9.0 and 11.7 per 10,000 births in European countries and Africa, respectively [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR13\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e13\\u003c/span\\u003e]. In Uganda, 1400 children are born with spinal bifida every year, and this prevalence rate is most likely increased due to a lack of folic acid supplementation (FAS) by pregnant mothers before and during pregnancy [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR14\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e14\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Studies in the UK revealed that FA knowledge and pre-conceptional use for NTD prevention varied by ethnicity [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR15\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e15\\u003c/span\\u003e]. A study conducted in Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates, indicated that the majority (79.1%) of mothers had heard of FA, while 66.7% reported that they knew its importance in pregnancy, and among them, only 46.6% had accurate knowledge about the role of FA in the prevention of NTDs. In this study, however, only 7.8% of the women took FAS before pregnancy, 65.3% took it after the first trimester, but the majority (78.2%) took it daily in its recommended doses [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR16\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e16\\u003c/span\\u003e]. In a related study conducted in Australia, most mothers took FA during pregnancy in its recommended doses; 64% of the mothers took dietary FAS before conception, whereas 61% took pre-conceptional FA tablets, with 57% taking the recommended dosage of 400 mcg daily [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR17\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e17\\u003c/span\\u003e]. A study conducted in India found out that the practice of folic acid supplementation was still low (6%) especially before pregnancy [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR18\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e18\\u003c/span\\u003e]. In a comparable study conducted among pregnant mothers in Gulu District, Northern Uganda; only 33.5% had ever heard about spinal bifida (S.B); 1% knew that FAS can prevent S.B: 50.5% took FA; none took FAS pre-conception, while only 8.1% took during the first trimester [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR19\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e19\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Further, in a similar study conducted in Lira district (Northern Uganda), adherence to FAS was 46% with none pre-conceptional [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR20\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e20\\u003c/span\\u003e].\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eDespite the recommendations by the WHO and the Ministry of Health, FAS before conception still remains low in Uganda, with most regions registering 0% [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR19\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e19\\u003c/span\\u003e]. This predisposes the newborns to NTDs and other congenital abnormalities. The current study was intended to investigate the level of knowledge and practices of pregnant mothers regarding folic acid supplementation and neural tube defects.\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"Methods\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eStudy design and site\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e:\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003eThe study employed descriptive and quantitative approaches to minimize bias and maximize reliability. This study was conducted at the antenatal care (ANC) clinic of Lira Regional Referral Hospital (LRRH), Lira City, Northern Uganda. This hospital serves an estimated population of 439,200\\u0026nbsp;[21]\\u0026nbsp;and has an annual antenatal attendance of 4,906\\u0026nbsp;[22]. At LRRH, 20 babies were born with NTDs in the years 2016 and 2017, of which half died before discharge due to the associated complications\\u0026nbsp;[23].\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eStudy Population\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;and sampling:\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003eThe study was conducted among pregnant mothers (Para 1 and above) who had attended the ANC clinic more than once at LRRH, were in good health, and consented to participate in the study.\\u0026nbsp;The sample size (199) was calculated and adjusted using the monthly attendance of 4906 mothers based on the formula described in Methodology\\u0026nbsp;[24].\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cstrong\\u003eProcedure:\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003eData were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire to minimize errors by probing and recording only valid\\u0026nbsp;data\\u0026nbsp;[25]. The data collection tool was designed to collect: participant demographics, knowledge regarding FAS and NTDs, the practice of FAS, and the factors that influence FAS. Consecutive sampling was used to enroll and collect data from pregnant mothers who had come for their ANC visit during the data collection period after the acquisition of consent until the required sample size was achieved.\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eData\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eprocessing and analysis:\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003eThe completed questionnaires were coded, and the\\u0026nbsp;data was entered into the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 20 for analysis while excluding inconsistent data. Descriptive statistics such as frequencies and percentages were used to describe mothers\\u0026apos; demographic characteristics, knowledge and practices, while correlation, chi-square test, and regression analysis were used to identify factors influencing FAS among mothers. \\u0026nbsp;A p-value of\\u0026nbsp;\\u0026le;\\u0026nbsp;0.05 was statistically significant. Knowledge was measured as\\u0026nbsp;High level/adequate knowledge (50% to 100%) or Low level/inadequate knowledge (\\u0026nbsp;\\u0026le;\\u0026nbsp;49%); while practice was measured as best practice (50%\\u0026ndash;100%) and poor practice (\\u0026le;\\u0026nbsp;49%).\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eEthical issues:\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003eThe study was approved by the Lira University Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery Research Ethics Committee and participation was voluntary following informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsink. \\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"Results\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eSocio-demographics\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eA total of 199 respondents were interviewed most of whom were 26-30 years (35.2%); married (87.9%); had attained tertiary education (41.7%); had informal employment (53.8%); from urban areas 81.4%; and had 0\\u0026ndash;5 pregnancies 64.3% (Table 1).\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eTable\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e1\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e: Socio-demographic characteristics of respondents\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ctable border=\\\"1\\\" cellspacing=\\\"0\\\" cellpadding=\\\"0\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 286px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eVariable\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eFrequency\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003ePercentage (%)\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"5\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 105px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAge\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e15-20\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e17\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e8.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e20-25\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e65\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e32.7\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e26-30\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e70\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e35.2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e31-35\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e35\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e17.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e36-40\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e12\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6.0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"4\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 105px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMarital status\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMarried\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e175\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e87.9\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSingle\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e13\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eDivorced\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e9\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSeparated\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"4\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 105px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eLevel of education\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo formal education\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePrimary\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e33\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e16.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSecondary\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e77\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e38.7\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eTertiary\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e83\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e41.7\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"4\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 105px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOccupation\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eFormal employment\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e31\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e15.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNon informal employment\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e107\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e53.8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePeasant\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e58\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e29.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eStudent\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 105px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAddress\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eUrban\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e162\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e81.4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eRural\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e37\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e18.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 105px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePrevious pregnancies\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0-5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e81\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e64.3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 181px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6-8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 140px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e45\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 130px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e35.7\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n\\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eKnowledge regarding folic acid supplementation and NTDs\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eA majority (88.4%) of the respondents reported having ever heard about FA; 89.2% correctly described FA; 73.0% knew the benefits of FAS, of which only 20.1% knew that it prevents NTDs; \\u0026nbsp;67.3% knew the correct time to take FA but only 15.0% said before pregnancy; \\u0026nbsp;76.9% mentioned the correct dose. 20.6% had heard about NTDs but only 36.4% explained correctly what NTDs are while 3.0% \\u0026nbsp;had a family history of NTDs (Table 2).\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eTable\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e2\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e: Showing knowledge regarding FAS and NTDs\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ctable border=\\\"1\\\" cellspacing=\\\"0\\\" cellpadding=\\\"0\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eVariable\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eFrequency\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003ePercentages\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eEver heard of FA\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e176\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e88.4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e23\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e11.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eWhat is folic acid?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eCorrect answer\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e132\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e89.2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIncorrect answer\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e16\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e10.8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eDo you know the benefits of FAS\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e147\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e73.9\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e52\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e26.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"4\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf yes, mention the benefits\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePrevents NTDs\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e29\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e20.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIncreases blood in the body\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e101\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e70.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eFood supplement\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIncorrect answer\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e9\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6.3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAre you aware of women who need FAS?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e155\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e77.9\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e40\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e20.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"3\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\u003cbr\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cp\\u003eDo you know the correct time to take FA?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e134\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e67.3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e33\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e16.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eDon\\u0026rsquo;t know\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e32\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e16.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"3\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf yes, when?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eBefore pregnancy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e19\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e15.0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eFirst trimester\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e81\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e63.8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026gt;Twelve weeks\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e26\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e20.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAre you aware of the correct dose of FA?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e156\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e78.4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo \\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e24\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e12.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf yes, mention the dose?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eCorrect dose\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e153\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e76.9\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIncorrect dose\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eHave you ever heard of NTDs?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e41\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e20.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e158\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e79.4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf yes, explain briefly?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eCorrect answer\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e15\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e36.4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIncorrect answer\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e26\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e63.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eHave you or your relative ever delivered a child with NTDs?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e7\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e192\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e96.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n\\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eOverall knowledge\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe overall knowledge in this study indicates that the majority (58.8%) of the respondents had adequate knowledge regarding FAS. This was generated from the questions that measured knowledge during data collection (Table 3).\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eTable 3:\\u003c/strong\\u003e \\u003cstrong\\u003eShowing the overall knowledge\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ctable border=\\\"1\\\" cellspacing=\\\"0\\\" cellpadding=\\\"0\\\" align=\\\"\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 360px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eVariable\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 113px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eFrequencies\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 135px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003ePercentage (%)\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOverall knowledge\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 246px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAdequate knowledge 50-100%\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 113px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e117\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 135px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e58.8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 246px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eInadequate knowledge 0-49%\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 113px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e82\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 135px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e41.2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n\\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eSource of information regarding FA\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe majority (84%) said they got information from midwives and nurses (Figure i).\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003ePractice regarding FAS\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eMost (84.4%) of the respondents had accessed FA tablets since they became pregnant; 82.6% received FA tablets from public hospital pharmacies; 83.9% were taking FA tablets during the current pregnancy; 63.5% started taking during the first trimester, and 18.0% started taking before conception; only 64.3% were taking daily while 15.1% were not taking at all. Of those who were not taking FA daily, 78.6% were due to forgetfulness; while for those who were not taking FA tablets at all, 81.8% were due to stockouts (Table 4). \\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eTable 4: Showing practice regarding FAS\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ctable border=\\\"1\\\" cellspacing=\\\"0\\\" cellpadding=\\\"0\\\" width=\\\"669\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 480px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eVariable\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eFrequency\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003ePercentage\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 281px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAccessed to FA tablets since conception\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e168\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e84.4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e30\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e15.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 281px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf no, what are the reasons?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eWas not provided\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e21\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e77.8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eDon\\u0026apos;t know\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e22.2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 281px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf yes, supplement to diet or medicine?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSupplement\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e167\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e99.4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMedicine\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"3\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 281px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSource of FA tablets?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePublic hospital pharmacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e138\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e82.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePrivate hospital pharmacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eBusiness owned pharmacy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e21\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e12.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"3\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 281px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eTaking FA tablets in current pregnancy?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e167\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e83.9\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e29\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e14.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eDon\\u0026apos;t know\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"3\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 281px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf yes, when did you start taking FA tablets?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eBefore pregnancy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e30\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e18.0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eFirst trimester\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e106\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e63.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSecond trimester\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e31\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e18.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"3\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 281px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eHow do you take FAS?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eDaily\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e128\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e64.3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNot daily\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e41\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e20.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNot at all\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e30\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e15.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"3\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 281px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eWhat are the reasons of not taking daily\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eForgetfulness\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e33\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e78.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSide effects\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e14.3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eLack of money to buy FA\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e7.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"3\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 281px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf you don\\u0026apos;t take at all, why?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eDon\\u0026apos;t like drugs\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOut of stocks and lack money\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e27\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e81.8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ewas not advised to buy\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 85px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e12.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n\\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eOverall practice\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cstrong\\u003eregarding FAS\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eOverall, 77.4% had best practice. This was generated from the questions that measured practice (Table 5)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eTable 5: Showing overall practice\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ctable border=\\\"1\\\" cellspacing=\\\"0\\\" cellpadding=\\\"0\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eVariable\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eFrequencies\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003ePercentages (%)\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOverall practice\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eBest practice 50-100%\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e154\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e77.4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePoor practice \\u0026lt;50\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e45\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e22.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n\\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003ePerceived susceptibility, severity and challenges\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThis study found that the majority 73.6 %) of the respondents felt that they were at risk of getting complications/health problems during this pregnancy or after birth if they don\\u0026apos;t take FA; 61.5 % reported that both mother and baby will be affected because FA prevents the mother from anemia and the baby from congenital abnormalities like spinal bifida; 73.5 % \\u0026nbsp;felt that the mother may die of bleeding after birth and the baby may die of congenital abnormalities like spinal bifida (13.5 %). 73.6 % \\u0026nbsp;reported challenges in acquiring FA tablets like out of stocks of folic acid and expenses (Table 6)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eTable 6 : Showing perceived susceptibility/risk, severity, and challenges of respondents\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ctable border=\\\"1\\\" cellspacing=\\\"0\\\" cellpadding=\\\"0\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eVariables\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eFrequency\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003ePercentage\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePerceived risk if you don\\u0026apos;t take FA?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e145\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e73.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e52\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e26.4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"3\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eWho is likely to be affected by the health problem that may arise during this pregnancy and after birth?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMother\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e20\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e13.7\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eBaby\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e37\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e25.3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eBoth\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e89\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e61.0\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf mother, give reasons\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAnaemia\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e14\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e82.4\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNot sure\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e17.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf baby, give reasons\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePrevents abnormalities\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e18\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e62.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNot sure\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e10\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e34.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf both give reasons\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eProtects from abnormalities and mother from anaemia\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e40\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e61.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNot sure\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e25\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e38.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eHealth problems that can arise during this pregnancy would be serious if FA is not taken\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e139\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e73.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e50\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e26.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf yes, why?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMother may die of bleeding\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e64\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e86.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;Death due to abnormalities like spinal bifida\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e10\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e13.5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf no, why?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eFolic acid has less importance\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e14.3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNot sure\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e18\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e85.7\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eDo you face any challenges/barriers in acquiring FA tablets?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e145\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e72.9\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e45\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e22.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"3\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eIf yes, which one?\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOut of stocks of folic acid and expenses\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e109\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e73.6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eLong distances\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.1\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eInsufficient instructions from health workers\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e33\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e22.3\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n\\u003c/table\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003cstrong\\u003eFactors that influence Folic Acid Supplementation among pregnant mothers\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eFactors associated with knowledge\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eKnowledge had a significant relationship with occupation (p=0.001), marital status (p=0.052), cues to action (p=0 .000), perceived risk (p=0.000) but not significantly associated with age (p=0.009), education level (p=0.413), address (p=0.643), previous pregnancies (p=0.000), average household monthly income (p=0.808)\\u003cstrong\\u003e.\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003eThere were 2 times and 10 times likelihood for mothers who are employed (OR=2.880, 95% CI=1.548-5.359), and those who perceive a risk (OR=10.131, 95% CI=4.738-21.663) to have adequate knowledge regarding FAS respectively (Table 7) \\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eTable 7: Showing relation of social demographic characteristic with knowledge\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ctable border=\\\"1\\\" cellspacing=\\\"0\\\" cellpadding=\\\"0\\\" width=\\\"697\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 212px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eVariable\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 186px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eOverall knowledge level\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 67px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eChi-square\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eP-value\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eOdds ratio\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"3\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 116px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e95%confidence interval\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eAdequate knowledge\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 89px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eInadequate knowledge\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 56px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eLower\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 60px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eUpper\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAge\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e15-30\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e84 (55.3%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e68 (44.7%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 65px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2.723\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.099\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.524\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 56px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.260 \\u0026nbsp;\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 60px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.058\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e31-40\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;33(70.2%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e14 (29.8%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eEducation level\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNon formal\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5(83.3%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1(16.7%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 65px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.671\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.413\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.404**\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 56px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.415\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 60px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e31.544\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eFormal education\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e112(58.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e81(42.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMarital status\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMarried\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e98(56.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e77(44.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 65px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.768\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.052*\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.335\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 56px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.120\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 60px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.938\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNot married\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e19(79.2%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5(20.8%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 65px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOccupation\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eEmployed\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e92(66.7%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e46(33.3%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 65px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e10.482\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.001*\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2.880\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 56px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.548\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 60px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5.359\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNot employed\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e25(41.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e36(59.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAddress\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eUrban\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e97(59.9)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e65(40.1)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 65px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.215\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.643\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.268\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 56px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.618\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 60px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2.603\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eRural\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e20(54.1)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e17(45.9)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePrevious pregnancies\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0-5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e49(60.5%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e32(39.5%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 65px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.930\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 55px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.439\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 60px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.967\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6-8 \\u0026nbsp; \\u0026nbsp; \\u0026nbsp; \\u0026nbsp; \\u0026nbsp;\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e28(62.2%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e17(37.8%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMonthly income\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5000-500000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e84(57.9)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e61(42.1)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 65px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.059\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.808\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.876\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 55px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.463\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 60px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.660\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026gt;500000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e33(61.1)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e21(38.9)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eSource of information\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMedia \\u0026amp; friends\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e8(27.6%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2(72.4%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 65px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e12.181\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.000*\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.213\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 55px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.089\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 60px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.510\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eH/W \\u0026amp; family members\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e109(64.1%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e61(35.9%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePerceived risk\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e106(73.1%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e39(26.9%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 65px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e40.701\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.000*\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e10.131\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 55px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e4.738\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 60px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e21.663\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 114px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e11(21.2%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" style=\\\"width: 90px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e41(78.8%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n\\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eFactors associated with practice\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003ePractice regarding FAS was significantly associated with Cues to action (p=0.000), perceived risk (p=0.000) but not significantly associated with age (p=0.100), Educational level (p=1.000), marital status (p=0.316), occupation (p=0.320), address (0.954), average household monthly income (p=0.073) and previous pregnancies (p=0.618). Mothers who stayed in urban areas were 1.1 times more likely to have best practice regarding FAS compared to those who had no formal education (OR=1.477, 95% CI=.167-12.973). \\u0026nbsp;Those who perceived risk were 7 times more likely to have best practices compared to those who perceived no risk (OR=7.529, 95% CI=3.583-15.822) (Table 8).\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eTable 8: Showing relation between social demographics and practice\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ctable border=\\\"1\\\" cellspacing=\\\"0\\\" cellpadding=\\\"0\\\" width=\\\"718\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 198px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eVariable\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 208px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOverall practice\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eChi-\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003esquare\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eP-value\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOR\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 123px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e95% CI\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eBest practice\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePoor practice\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eLower\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eUpper\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAge\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e15-30\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e113(74.3%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e39(25.7%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2.713\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.100\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.424\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.167\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.076\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e31-40\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e41(87.2%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6(12.8%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eEducational level\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eInformal\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5(83.3%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1(16.7%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.000**\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.168\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e12.973\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eFormal education\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e149(77.2%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e44(22.8%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMarital status\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMarried\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e133(76.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e21(24.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.006\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.316\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.452\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.129\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.592\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNot married\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e21(87.5%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3(12.5%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOccupation\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eEmployed\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e110(79.7%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e28(20.3%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.989\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.320\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.518\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.756\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.047\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNot employed\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e44(72.1%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e17(27.9%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAddress\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eUrban\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e126(77.8%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e36(22.2)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.003\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.954\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.125\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.487\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2.599\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eRural\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e28(75.7%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e9(24.3)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMonthly income\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e5000-500000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e107 (73.8%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e38 (26.2%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.223\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.073\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.419\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.175\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.007\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026gt;5000000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e47 (87.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e7(13.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePrevious pregnancies\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0-5\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e66 (81.5%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e15(18.5%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.249\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.618\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.677\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.243\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.889\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6-8\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e39(86.7%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6(13.3%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eCues to action\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eMedia, articles and friends\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e10(34.5%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e19(65.5%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e32.896\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.000*\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.095\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.040\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.227\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eH/W and family members\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e144(84.7%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e26(15.3%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePerceived risk\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eYes\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e128(88.3%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e17(11.7%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e30.657\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.000*\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e7.529\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.583\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e15.822\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eNo\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e26(50.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e26(50.0%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eChallenges faced in accessing FA\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOut of stocks and expenses\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e83 (76.1)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e26 (23.9)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.995\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e1.101\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 57px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e.474\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 66px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e2.557\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eLong distances \\u0026amp;insufficient instructions\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e29 (74.4)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 104px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e10 (25.6)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n\\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003e*Significant value, ** fisher\\u0026rsquo;s exact test\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003e\\u003cem\\u003eKnowledge versus Practice\\u003c/em\\u003e\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eKnowledge was significantly associated with practice (p=0.000), mothers who had adequate knowledge were 6 times more likely to have best practice (OR=6.826, 95% CI=3.190-14.604) (Table 9)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cstrong\\u003eTable 9: Showing relationship between knowledge and practice\\u003c/strong\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ctable border=\\\"1\\\" cellspacing=\\\"0\\\" cellpadding=\\\"0\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003ctbody\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 215px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eVariable\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd colspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 193px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOverall practice\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eChi-square\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eP-value\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 50px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOR\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eCI\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eBest practice\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003ePoor practice\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 121px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eOverall knowledge\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 95px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eAdequate knowledge\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e106 (90.6)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e11 (9.4)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e26.517\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 59px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e0.000\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 50px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e6.826\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd rowspan=\\\"2\\\" valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 58px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e3.190-14.604\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctr\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd valign=\\\"top\\\" style=\\\"width: 95px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003eInadequate knowledge\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 94px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e48 (58.5% )\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003ctd style=\\\"width: 98px;\\\"\\u003e\\n \\u003cp\\u003e34(41.5%)\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n \\u003c/td\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tr\\u003e\\n \\u003c/tbody\\u003e\\n\\u003c/table\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026nbsp;\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"Discussion\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eThe knowledge level regarding Folic acid supplementation was adequate. The study respondents had ever heard of folic acid and many knew its benefits. However, very few knew that it prevents neural tube defects. The majority were currently taking Folic acid while only a limited number took it before conception. There was a significant relationship between knowledge and occupation, marital status, cues to action plus perceived risk. Mothers who are employed, staying in urban areas, and perceived risk were more likely to have adequate knowledge regarding folic acid. In addition, the practice of Folic acid supplementation was significantly associated with Cues to action and perceived risk. Mothers who stayed in urban areas and who perceived a risk were more likely to have best practices regarding FAS. Knowledge was significantly associated with practice with mothers who had adequate knowledge being more likely to have best practice.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eIn this study, the knowledge level of mothers regarding FAS was adequate (58.8%). A majority (88.4%) of the mothers reported having ever heard of FA; 73.9% reported that they knew its benefit in pregnancy but among them, only 20.1% explained correctly the role of FAS in preventing NTDs. This finding is in line with a study that was conducted in Abu Dhabi United Arab Emirates which indicated that the majority (79.1%) of mothers had heard of FA, 66.7% knew its importance in pregnancy, and prevention of NTDs (46.6% ) [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR16\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e16\\u003c/span\\u003e]. This could be attributed to the wide spread of information on mass and social media since both studies were conducted among the educated majority of pregnant mothers. This study also found that 67.3% of the mothers knew the correct time to take FA, although only 15.05% said before conception. This percentage is lower than the 29.5% pre-conception intake reported in Arab countries [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR16\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e16\\u003c/span\\u003e] probably due to insufficient explanation by the health workers and poor pre-conception counseling in the current study setting. Developing countries should adopt preconception counseling to enable potential mothers to prepare for their newborns. This study reports 63.8% of mothers taking FA in the first trimester. This finding is closely related to the study in Arab countries where 65% of mothers took FA in the first trimester. This is probably due to the worldwide recommendation and promotion of FAS during pregnancy [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR4\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e4\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Most ministries of health in developed and developing countries have embraced the WHO recommendation of FAS before and during pregnancy. However, 32.7% did not know the proper time to take FA, although 76.9% knew the correct dose. This indicates a failure of understanding by the mothers perhaps due to a lack of details during the health education talks at ANC visits. This finding was also close to that of the Arab countries which indicated 78% mothers taking FAS daily in the recommended doses [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR16\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e16\\u003c/span\\u003e] probably due to the widespread knowledge regarding FAS. Some pregnant mothers in this study did report that they had acquired this information mostly from midwives and nurses at health facilities (84%) which agrees with a similar study that was conducted in Iran [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR26\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e26\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Health workers are doing fairly well by informing mothers about FA. In the present study, 20.6% had heard of NTDs like S.B. which is in agreement with the findings of the study conducted in Gulu district northern Uganda that reported 33.5% of the mothers heard ever heard about S.B. [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR19\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e19\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Globally, mothers undergo health education during ANC visits. This is why the majority have the right information regarding FAS. The findings of this study indicated that 70.1% of the mothers said that FA increases blood in the body which agrees with the findings of Greenberg and others [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR27\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e27\\u003c/span\\u003e]who reported that FA has been proven to reduce anemia. Moreover, usually FA is supplemented along with iron hence relieving anemia.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eIn the present study, the practice regarding FAS was good with the majority (77.4%) of mothers having good practice. However, of the majority (83.9%) of mothers that were taking FA, only 18.0% took before pregnancy whereas 63.5% and 18.6% took during the first and second trimester respectively. These findings are lower compared to those reported in Durham County, Northern Carolina where it was indicated that 51% and 66% took FA before and during pregnancy respectively [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR28\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e28\\u003c/span\\u003e]. This variation might be probably due to lack of pre-conception counseling about FA, drug stockouts, and insufficient funds to buy FA. On the other hand, these findings are in line with results reported in the United Arab Emirates and Libya where only 7.8% and 6% took FAS pre-conception respectively, while 65.3% took during the first trimester [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR16\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e16\\u003c/span\\u003e, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR29\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e29\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Further, the study revealed that the majority (64.3%) of the pregnant mothers were taking FA daily and in its recommended doses while 20.6% were not taking it daily and 15.1% were not taking at all. This finding agrees with a study in the United Arab Emirates that reported 78.2% taking FA daily with 76.7% in its recommended doses while in Libya, 27% did not take FA at all [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR16\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e16\\u003c/span\\u003e, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR18\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e18\\u003c/span\\u003e]. On the contrary, the findings of this study differ from the findings of a study conducted in Gulu district, Northern Uganda where none of the mothers took FA pre-conceptional. There is a perceived lack of information regarding the pre-conceptional benefits of FAS. No wonder not many mothers practice it.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eIn the present study, the mother’s occupation greatly influenced FAS (p = 0.001), which did agree with related studies which depicted that employment status greatly impacted knowledge [\\u003cspan additionalcitationids=\\\"CR31 CR32\\\" citationid=\\\"CR30\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e30\\u003c/span\\u003e–\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR33\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e33\\u003c/span\\u003e] Findings of this study showed that the mother’s age (p = 0.099), previous pregnancies(p = 1.000), the level of education(p = 0.413), physical address (urban/rural) (p = 0.643), time and distance to reach the nearest health facility (p = 0.394) had no association with FAS. These findings contradicted with related studies [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR30\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e30\\u003c/span\\u003e, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR33\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e33\\u003c/span\\u003e, \\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR34\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e34\\u003c/span\\u003e] which indicated that age \\u0026lt; 35 and parity \\u0026lt; 3, physical address, level of education positively influenced FAS. This difference could be attributed to the fact that the present study was conducted in an urban setting where most of the mothers were educated. Although Riazi and others reported that mothers who are educated get more information regarding FAS from reading literature compared to the un-educated who depend on health workers for information [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR26\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e26\\u003c/span\\u003e]; the findings of this study indicated that mothers got information from health workers and family members (p = 0.000) which might have been due to continuous health talks at the health facilities during ANC visits. According to the current study, the income level of the mother had no significant relationship with knowledge regarding FAS (p = 0.808). This finding is in disagreement with Kim and others whose finding revealed that low household income had a negative impact on FAS [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR35\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e35\\u003c/span\\u003e]. This variation could be due to the fact that most mothers in this study got their FA tablets from government health facilities. Furthermore, reports from studies indicated that the fear of the risk of health problems when FA is not taken during pregnancy had a significant relation with FAS (p = 0.000) [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR33\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e33\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Mothers fear for their babies to get birthdefects. The present findings also revealed that cues to action/ source of information (p = 0.000) and perceived risk (0.000) had a significant relationship with practice regarding FAS [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR33\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e33\\u003c/span\\u003e]. Some mothers in this study reported factors that negatively affect their FAS like forgetfulness, drug stockouts, long distances, expenses, the insufficient instructions from health workers which corresponded to the findings of a related study in India where forgetfulness and inadequate counseling from health workers affected FAS [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR36\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e36\\u003c/span\\u003e]. In addition fluctuation in supplies and failure to distribute drugs are some of the barriers to FAS reported [\\u003cspan citationid=\\\"CR37\\\" class=\\\"CitationRef\\\"\\u003e37\\u003c/span\\u003e]. This may be probably due to failure to prioritize the health sector especially maternal and child health and lack of awareness by the policy makers regarding the importance of FAS. The findings of this study however, demonstrated that these challenges had no significant relationship on FAS (p = 0.099). Lastly, this study found that knowledge has a significant association with practice regarding FAS (p = 0.000). The mothers who had access to FAS information practiced it. Therefore, health workers and governments should endeavor to provide detailed FAS information to mothers to enable good practices.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eThe low knowledge regarding the relevance of FAS in preventing NTDs reflects deficiencies in information delivery by health workers to pregnant mothers especially during ANC visits. Since knowledge influences practice, health workers should endeavor to avail all necessary information to the clients to ensure good practice. Moreover, the failure to practice FAS due to stockouts and fluctuations in supply should be checked by policymakers well knowing the clinical implications of missing FAS, especially during the first trimester. Maternal and child health ought to be prioritized to avert the complications of congenital abnormalities. Professional education is needed for the health care providers on the value of FAS before and during pregnancy. Involve the media regularly to address a wide range of people.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eThe majority of the mothers in the present study did not know the role of folic acid in averting NTDs. Research should be conducted to identify why mothers are not aware of such precious information. In addition, most mothers did not practice pre-conceptional FAS. Investigations into why this is so especially in sub-Saharan Africa is warranted. More studies are needed to establish effective approaches to improve FA awareness among women of childbearing age.\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eWheres this study was conducted among pregnant mothers, the population that is mostly affected by FA deficiencies; it was only conducted at one health facility. The situation could be different if other facilities were also investigated.\\u003c/p\\u003e \"},{\"header\":\"Conclusion and recommendations\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eThe mothers in the present had adequate knowledge regarding FA .Majority had ever heard of FA; knew the benefits and correct time to take FA; the correct dose and food sources for FA. However, only a few were aware of the role of FA in preventing NTDs. The practice regarding FAS was good with most mothers taking FA on a daily basis, in its recommended doses, and a significant number took it in first trimester. Unfortunately only a small percentage took FA before conception. Occupation, cues to action and perceived risk were significantly associated with knowledge and practice. Moreover, knowledge influenced practice. All potential mothers should be educated on the role folic acid in the prevention of NTDs and encouraged to practice pre-conceptional FAS\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"Strength and limitations of the study\",\"content\":\"\\u003cp\\u003eThe study was conducted among pregnant mothers who are directly affected by the negative pregnancy outcomes such as NTD. Moreover, the study location is grossily affected by NTDs.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003eUnfortunately, the study was conducted at only one health facility (Lira regional referral hospital). The findings could be different if multiple health facilities in the region were studied.\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"Declarations\",\"content\":\"\\u003ch2\\u003eEthics approval and consent to participate:\\u003c/h2\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eEthical approval was obtained from the faculty of nursing and midwifery and consent to participate was sought from each participant and they were required to sign a consent form before recruitment. Only adult participants (18 years and above) were recruited in the study\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ch2\\u003eConsent for publication:\\u003c/h2\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eNot appliacabe\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ch2\\u003eCompeting interests:\\u003c/h2\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe authors declare no competing interest\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ch2\\u003eFunding :\\u003c/h2\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003eThe study received no specific funding\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ch2\\u003eAuthor Contribution\\u003c/h2\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026quot;MM-conception, methods, data collection, analysis; RN- methods, supervision, manuscript draft and review. All authors approved the final submission\\u0026quot;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ch2\\u003eAcknowledgement\\u003c/h2\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026quot;The study participants for willingness to participate and patience\\u0026quot;\\u003c/p\\u003e\\n\\u003ch2\\u003eData Availability\\u003c/h2\\u003e\\n\\u003cp\\u003e\\u0026quot;Available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request\\u0026quot;\\u003c/p\\u003e\"},{\"header\":\"References\",\"content\":\"\\u003col\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eHisam, A., M.U. Rahman, and S.F. Mashhadi, \\u003cem\\u003eKnowledge, attitude and practices regarding foilic acid deficiency; Ahidden hunger.\\u003c/em\\u003e PAKISTAN JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCE, 2014: p. 583-588.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eHisam, A., Rahman, M. U., \\u0026amp; Mashhadi, S. F. , \\u003cem\\u003eKnowledge, attitude and practice regarding folic acid deficiency; A hidden hunger. .\\u003c/em\\u003e Pakistan journal of medical sciences, , 2014. \\u003cstrong\\u003e30 \\u003c/strong\\u003e(3): p. 583.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eMcStay, C.L., et al., \\u003cem\\u003eMaternal Folic Acid Supplementation during Pregnancy and Childhood Allergic Disease Outcomes: A Question of Timing?\\u003c/em\\u003e Nutrients 2017, 2017.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eArgyridis, S., \\u003cem\\u003eFolic acid in pregnancy. .\\u003c/em\\u003e Obstetrics, gynaecology \\u0026amp; reproductive medicine, 2019. \\u003cstrong\\u003e29\\u003c/strong\\u003e(4): p. 118-120.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eLyoba, W.B., Mwakatoga, J. D., Festo, C., Mrema, J., \\u0026amp; Elisaria, E. , \\u003cem\\u003eAdherence to iron-folic acid supplementation and associated factors among pregnant women in Kasulu communities in north-western Tanzania. .\\u003c/em\\u003e International Journal of Reproductive Medicine, 2020. \\u003cstrong\\u003e2020\\u003c/strong\\u003e.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eBa, D.M., Ssentongo, P., Kjerulff, K. H., Na, M., Liu, G., Gao, X., \\u0026amp; Du, P. , \\u003cem\\u003eAdherence to iron supplementation in 22 sub-Saharan African countries and associated factors among pregnant women: a large population-based study. .\\u003c/em\\u003e Current developments in nutrition, , 2019. \\u003cstrong\\u003e3\\u003c/strong\\u003e(12): p. 120.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eImbard, A., Benoist, J. F., \\u0026amp; Blom, H. 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B. , \\u003cem\\u003eA public health approach for preventing neural tube defects: folic acid fortification and beyond. .\\u003c/em\\u003e Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2018. \\u003cstrong\\u003e1414 \\u003c/strong\\u003e(1): p. 47-58.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eGomes, S., Lopes, C., \\u0026amp; Pinto, E. ,\\u003cem\\u003e Folate and folic acid in the periconceptional period: recommendations from official health organizations in thirty-six countries worldwide and WHO. .\\u003c/em\\u003e Public health nutrition, 2016. \\u003cstrong\\u003e19\\u003c/strong\\u003e(1): p. 176-189.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003ePeake, J.N., A.J. Copp, and J. 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M., \\u003cem\\u003eBarriers and enablers for iron folic acid (IFA) supplementation in pregnant women. .\\u003c/em\\u003e Maternal \\u0026amp; Child Nutrition, 2018. \\u003cstrong\\u003e14\\u003c/strong\\u003e: p. e12532.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eKim, M.W., Ahn, K. H., Ryu, K. J., Hong, S. C., Lee, J. S., Nava-Ocampo, A. A., ... \\u0026amp; Kim, H. J. ,\\u003cem\\u003e Preventive effects of folic acid supplementation on adverse maternal and fetal outcomes. .\\u003c/em\\u003e PLoS One, 2014. \\u003cstrong\\u003e9\\u003c/strong\\u003e(5): p. e97273.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eMithra , P., et al., \\u003cem\\u003eCompliance with iron-folic acid (IFA) therapy among pregnant women in an urban area of south India.\\u003c/em\\u003e African Health Sciences 2013, 2013: p. 880 - 885.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003cli\\u003eLacerte, P., et al., \\u003cem\\u003eDeterminants of Adherence to Iron/Folate Supplementation During Pregnancy in Two Provinces in Cambodia.\\u003c/em\\u003e Asia Pacific Journal of Public Health, 2011. \\u003cstrong\\u003e23\\u003c/strong\\u003e(3): p. 315-23.\\u003c/li\\u003e\\n\\u003c/ol\\u003e\"}],\"fulltextSource\":\"\",\"fullText\":\"\",\"funders\":[],\"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow\":false,\"hasManuscriptDocX\":true,\"hasOptedInToPreprint\":true,\"hasPassedJournalQc\":\"\",\"hasAnyPriority\":false,\"hideJournal\":false,\"highlight\":\"\",\"institution\":\"\",\"isAcceptedByJournal\":true,\"isAuthorSuppliedPdf\":false,\"isDeskRejected\":\"\",\"isHiddenFromSearch\":false,\"isInQc\":false,\"isInWorkflow\":false,\"isPdf\":false,\"isPdfUpToDate\":true,\"isWithdrawnOrRetracted\":false,\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"bmc-pregnancy-and-childbirth\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"prch\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth](http://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/)\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"https://www.editorialmanager.com/prch/default.aspx\",\"title\":\"BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth\",\"twitterHandle\":\"@BMC_series\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":false,\"editorialSystem\":\"em\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"BMC Series\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":true},\"keywords\":\"Neural Tube defects, folic acid supplementation, pregnant mothers, Lira, Uganda\",\"lastPublishedDoi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5289658/v1\",\"lastPublishedDoiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-5289658/v1\",\"license\":{\"name\":\"CC BY 4.0\",\"url\":\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/\"},\"manuscriptAbstract\":\"\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eBackground and Aim:\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eFolic Acid requirements increase during pregnancy in order to meet the metabolic needs, DNA synthesis, and rapid cell division during fetal development. Low levels of folate before and during pregnancy augment the chances of poor pregnancy outcomes, like neural tube defects. In sub-Saharan Africa, very few pregnant women take folic acid pre- and post-conception. In Uganda, 1400 children are born with spinal bifida annually yet taking 400 micrograms daily of folic acid, before and during early pregnancy reduces the risk of neural tube defects. This study intended to explore the level of knowledge and practices of pregnant mothers regarding folic acid supplementation in preventing neural tube defects in Lira, northern Uganda.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eStudy Design:\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eThis study employed a quantitative and descriptive approach of data collection and analysis. A consecutive sampling technique was employed to recruit and interview 199 respondents. SPSS V20 was used for data entry and statistical analysis for frequencies, and percentages. Correlation and chi-square tests were used to determine the association between knowledge and practices of folic acid supplementation for prevention of neural tube defects among pregnant mothers. A p-value of \\u0026le;\\u0026thinsp;0.05 was statistically significant.\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eResults\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eThe knowledge level regarding Folic acid was adequate. 88% ever heard of it; 73.0% knew its benefits, but only 20.1% knew that it prevents neural tube defects; 83.9% were currently taking while only 18.0% took it before conception. In addition, the practice of Folic acid supplementation was significantly associated with cues to action (p\\u0026thinsp;=\\u0026thinsp;0.000) and perceived risk (p\\u0026thinsp;=\\u0026thinsp;0.000) while knowledge was significantly associated with practice (p\\u0026thinsp;=\\u0026thinsp;0.000).\\u003c/p\\u003e\\u003cp\\u003e\\u003cb\\u003eConclusion\\u003c/b\\u003e\\u003c/p\\u003e \\u003cp\\u003eVery few mothers knew the value of Folic acid in preventing neural tube defects with very low pre-conception intake. Strategies should be designed to improve the knowledge regarding the role of folic acid in averting neural tube defects among women of childbearing age. These women should be encouraged to take Folic acid pre and post-conception, especially in the first trimester.\\u003c/p\\u003e\",\"manuscriptTitle\":\"Folic acid supplementation and Neural Tube Defects: Knowledge and practice among pregnant mothers in Lira, northern Uganda\",\"msid\":\"\",\"msnumber\":\"\",\"nonDraftVersions\":[{\"code\":1,\"date\":\"2024-11-11 05:35:10\",\"doi\":\"10.21203/rs.3.rs-5289658/v1\",\"editorialEvents\":[{\"type\":\"communityComments\",\"content\":0},{\"type\":\"decision\",\"content\":\"Revision requested\",\"date\":\"2024-10-24T07:27:09+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"editorAssigned\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2024-10-23T02:58:06+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"checksComplete\",\"content\":\"\",\"date\":\"2024-10-23T02:57:41+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"},{\"type\":\"submitted\",\"content\":\"BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth\",\"date\":\"2024-10-18T13:02:27+00:00\",\"index\":\"\",\"fulltext\":\"\"}],\"status\":\"published\",\"journal\":{\"display\":true,\"email\":\"info@researchsquare.com\",\"identity\":\"bmc-pregnancy-and-childbirth\",\"isNatureJournal\":false,\"hasQc\":true,\"allowDirectSubmit\":false,\"externalIdentity\":\"prch\",\"sideBox\":\"Learn more about [BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth](http://bmcpregnancychildbirth.biomedcentral.com/)\",\"snPcode\":\"\",\"submissionUrl\":\"https://www.editorialmanager.com/prch/default.aspx\",\"title\":\"BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth\",\"twitterHandle\":\"@BMC_series\",\"acdcEnabled\":true,\"dfaEnabled\":false,\"editorialSystem\":\"em\",\"reportingPortfolio\":\"BMC Series\",\"inReviewEnabled\":true,\"inReviewRevisionsEnabled\":true}}],\"origin\":\"\",\"ownerIdentity\":\"105dbcfa-997c-4252-a1f2-236a9e90e222\",\"owner\":[],\"postedDate\":\"November 11th, 2024\",\"published\":true,\"recentEditorialEvents\":[],\"rejectedJournal\":[],\"revision\":\"\",\"amendment\":\"\",\"status\":\"published-in-journal\",\"subjectAreas\":[],\"tags\":[],\"updatedAt\":\"2026-01-26T16:12:09+00:00\",\"versionOfRecord\":{\"articleIdentity\":\"rs-5289658\",\"link\":\"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-026-08668-3\",\"journal\":{\"identity\":\"bmc-pregnancy-and-childbirth\",\"isVorOnly\":false,\"title\":\"BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth\"},\"publishedOn\":\"2026-01-23 15:58:04\",\"publishedOnDateReadable\":\"January 23rd, 2026\"},\"versionCreatedAt\":\"2024-11-11 05:35:10\",\"video\":\"\",\"vorDoi\":\"10.1186/s12884-026-08668-3\",\"vorDoiUrl\":\"https://doi.org/10.1186/s12884-026-08668-3\",\"workflowStages\":[]},\"version\":\"v1\",\"identity\":\"rs-5289658\",\"journalConfig\":\"researchsquare\"},\"__N_SSP\":true},\"page\":\"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]\",\"query\":{\"redirect\":\"/article/rs-5289658\",\"identity\":\"rs-5289658\",\"version\":[\"v1\"]},\"buildId\":\"pf3fE39SIOqb-0xH_OWvX\",\"isFallback\":false,\"isExperimentalCompile\":false,\"dynamicIds\":[84888],\"gssp\":true,\"scriptLoader\":[]}","source_license":"CC-BY-4.0","license_restricted":false}