title: Maternal obesity and pre-pregnancy folic acid supplementation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this nested cohort study was to compare the rate of pre-pregnancy supplementation in obese women with that of women with a normal BMI.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant women were enrolled at their convenience in a large university hospital. Weight and height were measured in the first trimester and BMI categorised.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 288 women, 35.1% were in the normal, 29.5% in the overweight and 35.4% in the obese BMI categories. Only 45.1% (n = 46) of the obese women took pre-pregnancy folic acid compared with 60.4% (n = 61) of women with a normal BMI (p < 0.03). The lower incidence of folic acid supplementation in obese women was associated with an unplanned pregnancy in 36.3% of women compared with 22.8% in the normal BMI category (p < 0.04).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obese women should take folate supplements whether they are planning to conceive or not.
authors.affiliation: UCD Centre for Human Reproduction, Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. drnfarah@gmail.com
authors.forename: Nadine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Farah
authors.forename: Cormac
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kennedy
authors.forename: Ciara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: Vicky
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: O'Dwyer
authors.forename: Mairead M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Kennelly
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Turner
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D049168:Pregnancy, Unplanned; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D012016:Reference Values; D014803:Vitamin B Complex / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D014803:Vitamin B Complex; D005492:Folic Acid