Periconceptional folic acid intake: a one year survey among mothers of patients with myelomeningocele in a regional neurosurgical centre in Northwestern Nigeria

Background: Management of myelomeningocele, the most common neural tube defect in our environment, is quite challenging, and the outcome is usually less pleasing to parents/caregivers. Periconceptional folic acid ingestion reduces the incidence, especially in developed countries with mandated policies for folic acid fortification of staple foods. Awareness of preventive role of folic acid and periconceptional intake has not been studied in our centre. This study aimed to assess the knowledge of the proper intake of folic acid in preventing Myelomeningocele among mothers of patients with myelomeningocele.  Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted at Usmanu Danfodiyo university teaching hospital (UDUTH) Sokoto state, Nigeria over 12 months period after obtaining ethical clearance and informed consent. Data of mothers of patients with myelomeningocele who presented to the neurosurgical outpatient clinic of our facility was entered into a well-designed proforma. Data was analyzed using simple descriptive statistics, and results were presented in tables and pie chart. Results: Fifty-four mothers were recruited. The most common age range was 20-35 years (70%), with a mean age of 23.8 years±5.49 SD. Nineteen (35%) out of 54 mothers had heard prior information about folic acid, and only 16 (30%) were aware of its appropriate time of intake in preventing myelomeningocele. None of the mothers ingested folic acid in the periconceptional period. Conclusions: There was poor awareness and knowledge of the appropriate timing of folic acid intake in preventing Myelomeningocele in our centre.