Knowledge of periconceptional @entity1501 for the prevention of XXXX . The missing links. Northeastern Ontario Primary Care Research Group.

@entity1501 @entity154 @entity1 @entity600 @entity601
BACKGROUND: Periconceptional @entity1501 supplementation is effective in preventing primary and secondary @entity601 ( @entity601 ) and other @entity154 . However, debate exists regarding the effectiveness of public and physician education on @entity1 knowledge and compliance. OBJECTIVE: To examine the level of knowledge about the usefulness of periconceptional @entity1501 supplementation in a sample of @entity1 from primary care practices. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. A confidential, anonymous questionnaire was completed by @entity1 before physician encounters. A maximum of 20 consecutive female @entity1 from each of 3 age groups (16-24, 25-32, and 33-40 years) were recruited from each primary care practice. SETTINGS: Twenty-two Canadian teaching practices affiliated with the Northeastern Ontario Primary Care Research Group. OUTCOME: @entity1 's knowledge of periconceptional @entity1501 supplementation for the prevention of @entity601 . RESULTS: Of 1125 eligible female @entity1 between the ages of 16 and 40 years visiting their family physician in 1996, 1124 (99.9%) completed the questionnaire. General awareness of @entity601 was high (62.7%); however, knowledge that these defects were preventable was lower (22.5%). Only 7.8% of the @entity1 made the association between @entity1501 intake and @entity601 . The specific knowledge that @entity601 could be prevented with @entity1501 supplementation before conception was identified by 1.8% of the sample. Pregnant @entity1 were at least twice as likely to be informed about the link. Interpractice variability existed with respect to knowledge of @entity1501 supplementation. CONCLUSION: Knowledge of periconceptional @entity1501 supplementation for the prevention of @entity601 was low in this sample and is likely to be reflected in missed opportunities to prevent an important class of @entity600 .
