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FOLIC ACID AWARENESS AMONG HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS AND MEDICAL STUDENTS IN JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA: CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abdullah A. Alamri, Turki N. Almutairi, Mohammed Z. Lamfon, Ali A. Fadel, Moayad S. Qashqari, Hussain O. Bogari, Marwan N. Flimban, Ahmed E. Bishara, Mohammed M. Barnawi, Osama Safdar,

Objectives: Folic acid, a water-soluble vitamin, is used in the formation of red blood cells, amino acid metabolism, and DNA/RNA synthesis. Moreover, folic acid is used during cellular division. The current study aims to assess the awareness and knowledge among health care providers about folic acid consumption during preconception at the King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital (KAU-H), Jeddah, in 2017. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we randomly selected participants, with a total number of 305 health care providers including medical students, nurses, and doctors working at KAU-H in 2017. The data were collected using a validated online self-administered questionnaire. Results: Out of 305 participants, 203 (66.6%) were medical students at multiple colleges; two-thirds of the students were in the sixth year of medical college at KAU (66, 21.6%). With respect to the comparison of level of knowledge regarding work and academic year, the results revealed significant differences in knowledge level, with doctors and fifth-year medical students obtaining higher scores than others (p=0.04, p=0.001, respectively). Conclusion: The level of knowledge and work, and academic year were significantly related. Continuous medical education programs and campaigns are needed to increase the awareness level. Future studies (cohort, intervention and qualitative studies) with larger sample sizes, from several institutions across the country should be conducted to determine the level of awareness, the main reasons for this inadequate level and how to bridge the knowledge gaps. Key words: Folic acid, Awareness, Healthcare professionals, Neural tube defects (NTDs), Pregnancy

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