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2011 Awareness Assessment

Awareness Assessment of Selected High School Students on Folic Acid

and its Importance in the Prevention of Birth Defects

The UPLB Genetics Society

Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health - Philippines UP Los Banos

Institute of Biological Sciences, UP Los Banos

Poster presented during the First VYLH-Philippines National Leadership Congress held last May 2011 at

Fontana Leisure Park, Angeles, Pampanga

The youth is certainly one of the key players in Philippine society. With one-third of the population belonging to this sector, investing on the youth is a crucial strategy on the improvement of societal conditions, particularly health. However, there is no existing study on the awareness levels of the youth on specific health concerns such as folic acid and its importance on the prevention of neural tube defects. With its continuous involvement to the Volunteer Youth Leaders for Health-Philippines, The UPLB Genetics Society (GeneSoc) contributes to the advancement of the awareness of the youth in this issue through its annual special symposium on the importance of Folic Acid (FA) in the prevention of Birth Defects conducted as part of the annual Genetics Camp.

Introduction

Folate (Vitamin B9) is one of the water-soluble B-complex vitamins (B9) that naturally occur in food. As a water-soluble vitamin, it cannot be stored in the body, so a continuous dietary supply of the vitamin is needed.
Everyone needs folic acid, most especially women in their reproductive age and pregnant women.
Folic acid (FA) is important in making healthy new cells, formation of red blood cells, and DNA synthesis which is needed in cell division.
FA is also suggested to lessen the probability of pre-term births and Neural Tube Defects (NTDs) and other deformities.
NTDs have an incidence rate of 1-5 per 1000 births. Approximately, these affect 7.8 million children worldwide yearly.
In the Philippines, the incidence rate was computed at 2.2 per 10,000 making it one of the top 10 causes of infant mortality.
One of the available and proven interventions to reduce birth defects, particularly NTDs, and complication among pre-term births is folic acid supplementation.
Educating people on how to take good care of their bodies and its possible effect to their future offspring must start while they are still young.
At the same time, preparing future parents while they are still young will help on the fight against one of the leading causes of infant mortality – Neural Tube Defects.

Why Promote Folic Acid?

Awareness on the significance of Folic acid Supplementation among Filipino women in reproductive age is LOW.
Folic acid is needed a month before pregnancy and during the first trimester (first three months) of gestation - a need which exists before a woman knows that she is pregnant.
There is a need for an intensive awareness campaign on the significance of folic acid supplementation among women in reproductive age (ages 14 and older). However, the level of awareness of the youth is not yet defined.

Objectives

ABOUT THE

GENETICS CAMP

The Genetics Camp is a two-day event facilitated by The UPLB Genetics Society which is open to high school students from schools throughout Luzon.

The Genetics Camp is annually conducted in order to advance the mission of the organization of creating and promoting awareness about the science of Genetics in the Philippines. (more info on GenCamp 2011)

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

To promote folic acid supplementation and its importance on the prevention of birth defects; and
To assess the change in awareness among the participants through a pre– and post-intervention test.

Methodology

The assessment survey was implemented as part of the special symposium on folic acid and birth defects of the 2011 Genetics Camp held last 22-23 January 2011. The Intervention method used was a standardized lecture presented by Dr. Merlyn Mendioro, Senior Adviser of The UPLB Genetics Society and Faculty Adviser of VYLH-Philippines. The assessment survey was composed of a post-symposium test that was conducted to assess the effect of the intervention in comparison with the baseline established by a pre-symposium survey which was answered before the start of the program. The survey results were collected, recorded, and analyzed by the members of The UPLB Genetics Society.

Dr. Merlyn S. Mendioro

Professor, Genetics and Molecular Biology Division, IBS-UPLB

Senior Adviser, The UPLB Genetics Society

Founding Adviser/Faculty Adviser - UPLB, VYLH-Philippines

Profile of Respondents

Highlights of Findings

Results of the assessment test showed that the participants were generally aware that their current health may affect the health of their offspring. (97% Pre-test, 100% Post-test)
The symposium has also encouraged 72.4% of the participants to say that the food in their diet can affect the health of their offspring, though options pertaining to the environment, vices and lifestyle may affect their child.

On Birth Defects

During the post-test, 87% of the total responses (100 out of 114) correctly identified the spina bifida as a congenital abnormality.
98% of the total responses (156 out of 159) on the post-test item relating hygiene and maternal nutritional status (before and during pregnancy) showed that the latter was identified by the respondents as conditions associated to the birth defect.

Awareness On Folic Acid

After the symposium, 100% of the participants have confirmed that they have received information about folic acid though 63.8% percent have indicated they have received information on FA prior to the symposium. However, the questionnaire was not able to ask the respondents on the source of this information.
Almost 70% of the respondents identified that FA’s beneficial effects include (1) the prevention of birth defects, and (2) the synthesis of DNA and RBC among the listed benefits of folic acid supplementation.
Around 70% of the respondents also identified that FA supplementation is important because the vitamin is water soluble.
After the lecture, a 63% increase in the number of respondents who knew folic acid fortified products was observed. (32%, pre-test, 95 post-test)
The results of the assessment test also indicated that 88% (103 out of 116) of the respondents indicated they are aware that FA supplementation is suggested for women in reproductive age.

On the Recommended Daily Values of FA

A prominent increase was observed on the number of respondents who identified the correct recommended daily values of FA on both conditions given - normal and women with previous child with NTD.

There were a total of 116 students who participated in the awareness assessment. 72 (62%) of the respondents were female while 44 (38%) were male (Fig. 2.a). According to year level, 41% (48) were second year students (Fig. 2.b). Majority of the respondents came from Region 4a (Fig. 2.c). The age of the respondents ranged from 14-16 years old.

On the Campaign

All (100%) of the respondents indicated that: (1) they are willing to take folic acid as a supplement to their diet, and (2) the promotion of the importance of folic acid supplementation on the prevention of birth defects among the youth is a worthy activity.

References

March of Dimes.

Philippine Pediatric Society, Inc. 2004. The Role of Folic Acid in the prevention of Neural Tube Defects. PPS Policy Statements 1(3). 13-17.