Serum Folate Levels Among Women in Najaf governorate, 2005-2007

Ph.D,; Mohammad Sadiq, Alaa

	Serum Folate Levels Among Women in Najaf governorate, 2005-2007
KUFA MEDICAL JOURNAL
Article 1, Volume 11, Issue 1, 2008, Pages 205-212
Authors
; Alaa Mohammad Sadiq
Abstract
Serum folate levels among all women has not been well-studied in Najaf governorate. Identifying characteristics of women with lower serum folate levels would be helpful in designing educational campaigns. samples for this study were collected during march 2005--march 2007. Blood samples were collected from 400 women aged 16--45 years who attended family planning clinics in Najaf governorate and analyzed for serum folate levels. This sample included women aged 16--25 years (62.5%), urban women (60%), and women who had a high education (12.5%). The median serum folate level (8.5 ng/mL) among this population was lower than the median of women of childbearing age (13.0 ng/mL) who participated in the 1999--2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). In logistic regression analysis, women who were urban (odds ratio [OR] = 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.48, 3.96), who smoked (OR = 2.1; 95% CI = 1.26, 3.43), or who used Depo-Provera® contraceptive injection (OR = 2.3; 95% CI = 1.15, 4.62) were more likely to be ranked in the lowest quartile (<6.2 ng/mL) of serum folate concentrations when compared with the highest quartile (>12.4 ng/mL). Women who consumed cereal regularly (OR = 0.4; 95% CI = 0.26, 0.62) or folic acid supplements (OR = 0.2; 95% CI = 0.09, 0.30) were the least likely to be in the lowest serum folate quartile. This study indicates that certain women are at greater risk for having lower serum folate levels, including women who are rural, smokers, Depo-Provera users, and those less likely to eat cereal regularly or to take folic acid supplements. In Najaf governorate, this study is useful in defining target populations (e.g., rural women and smokers) for folic acid education campaigns because public health officials can develop contextually appropriate messages and outreach approaches for targeting women for folic acid interventions. Ongoing surveillance of serum folate status among women can guide future intervention efforts.

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