ResearchResearch and Professional BriefFolate Intake and Food-Related Behaviors in Nonpregnant, Low-Income Women of Childbearing Age
Section snippets
Study Participants
Participants were recruited by trained FSNE staff in four California counties/regions, representing urban and rural settings: Fresno, San Diego, Sonoma, and Shasta/Trinity (combined because one staff administers the program in these two counties). Eligible subjects were 18- to 45-year-old, nonpregnant, low-income (≤185% of federal poverty level) women. Each participant had to be able to read English or Spanish and be the primary food purchaser/preparer in her household. Women were excluded if
Results
Mean age of participants was 31.6 years (range, 18 to 45). Ethnicities included Hispanic (n=89), white (n=56), Native American/Alaskan Native (n=6), Asian/Pacific Islander (n=2), and mixed ethnicity (n=4). All participants from Fresno (n=39) and San Diego (n=41) were Hispanic and completed the surveys in Spanish, whereas the participants from Shasta/Trinity (n=36) and Sonoma (n=41) represented multiple ethnicities and completed the surveys in English. Forty percent of participants received food
Discussion
This study investigated folate intake and food-related behaviors of low-income, nonpregnant women of childbearing age. Although mean intakes were adequate and 85% of participants achieved the RDA for total folate, 63% did not meet the recommended 400 μg of synthetic folic acid per day to reduce neural tube defect risk. This is consistent with a previous study in which 58% of low-income women of childbearing age in California had folic acid intakes less than current recommendations (7).
E. R. Cena is a dietetic intern, University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center; at the time of the study, she was a graduate student researcher, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis.
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Cited by (8)
The clinical content of preconception care: nutrition and dietary supplements
2008, American Journal of Obstetrics and GynecologyCitation Excerpt :Not all women have financial or logistical access to a high-quality diet.10 Furthermore, several studies have shown that most women of reproductive age are not getting enough vitamins A, C, B6, and E, folic acid, calcium, iron, zinc, and magnesium in their diet.11-13 This underscores the importance of encouraging healthy eating behaviors early in a woman's child-bearing years because improving dietary habits requires long-term effort.
Learner-Centered Nutrition Education Improves Folate Intake and Food-Related Behaviors in Nonpregnant, Low-Income Women of Childbearing Age
2008, Journal of the American Dietetic AssociationCitation Excerpt :A third hypothesis for this study was that providing nutrition education to food stamp recipients would result in positive dietary changes because they would be better equipped for spending their food budget on healthful choices and, in this case, folate-rich foods. It has been shown that simply receiving food stamps without any accompanying nutrition education has no influence on folate intake (13). Similar findings have been reported for other nutrients (29).
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2015, BMC Pregnancy and ChildbirthComprehensive evaluation of Safyral<sup>®</sup> 2012
2012, Women's HealthFolate recommendations for pregnancy, lactation, and infancy
2011, Annals of Nutrition and MetabolismHigh risk of depression among low-income women raises awareness about treatment options
2010, California Agriculture
E. R. Cena is a dietetic intern, University of California, San Francisco, Medical Center; at the time of the study, she was a graduate student researcher, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis.
A. B. Joy is cooperative extension specialist, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis; at the time of the study, she was director, University of California Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis.
K. Heneman is assistant project scientist, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis; at the time of the study, she was a post-doctoral scholar, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis.
S. Zidenberg-Cherr is a cooperative extension specialist, Department of Nutrition, University of California, Davis.
G. Espinosa-Hall is program manager, nutrition and physical activity, Shasta County Public Health, Redding, CA; at the time of the study, she was a nutrition, family, and consumer sciences advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension–Shasta and Trinity Counties, Redding.
L. Garcia is county director and a nutrition, family, and consumer sciences advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension–Sonoma County, Santa Rosa.
C. Schneider is a nutrition, family, and consumer sciences advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension–Fresno County, Fresno.
P. C. Wooten Swanson is a nutrition, family, and consumer sciences advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension–San Diego County, San Diego.
M. Hudes is a senior statistician, Department of Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology, University of California, Berkeley.