title: A Village-Based Intervention: Promoting Folic Acid  Use among Rural Chinese Women.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Folic acid supplementation is effective in reducing the risk of neural tube defects (NTDs). However, the use of folic acid is low among rural women in China. Nutrition education can provide information about folic acid and encourage its use. The primary objective of this study was to test the effectiveness of a village-based nutrition intervention on folic acid use among rural women.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty villages were randomly selected using multiple-stage sampling and were divided into control and intervention groups. The intervention included nutritional education at village clinics, written materials, and text messages (SMS). Folic acid use knowledge and behavior was assessed at baseline and after the intervention.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Self-reported compliance with folic acid supplement use increased from 17.0%-29.2% at baseline to 41.7%-59.2% one year post-intervention. During the same period, the folic acid knowledge score in the intervention group increased from 3.07 to 3.65, significantly higher than the control group (3.11 to 3.35). Multivariate binary logistic regression showed that the women who received folic acid education and SMS intervention were more likely to comply with folic acid supplement recommendations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results indicated that an integrated village-based folic acid education intervention may be an effective way of promoting folic acid use for the prevention of NTDs in rural women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition Science and Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China. linqian@csu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Qian
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition Science and Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China. ylnly1997@csu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lina
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition Science and Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China. squall21358993@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition Science and Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China. qinhong@csu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition Science and Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China. lmz1976@126.com.
authors.forename: Mingzhi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition Science and Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China. chenjh@csu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Jihua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Statistical Science, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China. dengjing2@126.com.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition Science and Food Hygiene, Xiangya School of Public Health, Central South University, 110 Xiangya Road, Changsha 410078, Hunan, China. hxyybyq@163.com.
authors.forename: Xiangying
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D005492:Folic Acid / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006266:Health Education; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016742:Preconception Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D012424:Rural Population; D014803:Vitamin B Complex / Q000627:therapeutic use; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014803:Vitamin B Complex; D005492:Folic Acid
keywords: folic acid;   China;  neural tube defects;  rural;  village‐based intervention;  women at birth age