Periconceptional folic acid usage and its associated factors in eastern Sudan: A cross-sectional study

Background:Several countries poorly adhere to the World Health Organization's recommendation of folic acid supplementation in the periconceptional period, especially in limited-resource settings.Objective:The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of and the factors associated with folic acid usage in the periconceptional period among pregnant women at Gadarif Maternity Hospital in eastern Sudan.Study design:This is a cross-sectional study.Methods:This study was conducted in eastern Sudan from April to September 2022. A total of 720 pregnant women in their first trimester were enrolled. The sociodemographic characteristics and clinical and obstetrical data of pregnant women in their first trimester were assessed using a face-to-face questionnaire. In addition, multivariate regression analysis was performed.Results:In this study, the median (interquartile range) of the age and gravidity of the enrolled women was 26.3 (24.14-29.52) years and 2 (1-4), respectively. Of these 720 women, 423 (58.8%) used folic acid during the periconceptional period, while 27 (3.7%) women used folic acid in the preconceptional period. None of the investigated factors (age, residence, education, employment, body mass index, or gravidity) were associated with periconceptional use of folic acid.Conclusion:The study revealed a low prevalence of folic acid usage in preconceptional period among pregnant women in eastern Sudan. Additional efforts are needed to promote folic acid usage in the preconceptional period as well as in the first trimester.