title: [Periconceptional use of folic acid in health centers from the territorial sanitary jurisdiction of Tlalpan, Mexico City].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 1992, the United States Public Health Service, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the United States Institute of Medicine recommended periconceptional intake of 400 microg of folic acid (FA) in order to reduce the risk of neural tube defects (NTD) by 70%. Our objective was to assess among pregnant women the periconceptional intake of FA and to assess the level of knowledge among health professionals regarding the benefits associated with FA intake as a preventive measure of NTD.
  
  
  METHODS
  We designed a prospective and cross-sectional study to assess certain sociodemographic and reproductive health characteristics, knowledge of periconceptional intake, benefits of FA intake among pregnant women and among health workers. Descriptive statistics was employed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From 200 pregnant women, only 1.7% had taken 400 microg doses of periconceptional FA. Among participating health care personnel only 10.17% knew about the benefits of periconceptional intake of 400 microg of FA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Periconceptional intake of FA among our sample of pregnant woman was very low and knowledge of its benefits among health professionals was also scarce.
authors.affiliation: Dirección de Investigación, Hospital General Dr. Manuel Gea González, México D.F., México. scanuns@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Canún-Serrano
authors.forename: Aldelmo E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Reyes-Pablo
authors.forename: Marisela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Sánchez
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jaime-Gómez
authors.forename: Felicitas de Jesús
authors.initials: Fde J
authors.lastname: Centeno-Morones
authors.forename: Ismael
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Falcón-Bernal
authors.forename: María Concepción
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Legorreta-García
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Valdés-Hernández
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008430:Maternal-Child Health Centers; D008800:Mexico; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014504:Urban Health; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D005492:Folic Acid