{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T18:50:54Z","timestamp":1773082254296,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":29,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,8]],"date-time":"2026-03-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772928000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJERPH"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Objective: Neural tube defects remain a significant global health concern. This pilot study assessed folic acid (FA) knowledge and supplementation practices among pregnant women in Ukraine. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 95 pregnant women who completed a 22-item self-administered questionnaire assessing FA awareness and socio-demographic characteristics. Results: Although 76.8% of participants reported planned pregnancies, only 25.3% used FA before conception, while 80.0% initiated supplementation after pregnancy recognition (p &lt; 0.05). In bivariate logistic regression analysis, preconception counseling (OR = 7.7, 95% CI: 2.37\u201324.85), planned pregnancy (OR = 9.7, 95% CI: 1.22\u201376.25), previous FA supplementation (OR = 3.11, 95% CI: 1.20\u20138.33), and increasing maternal age (OR = 1.09 per year, 95% CI: 1.00\u20131.19) were significantly associated with preconception FA use. Sociodemographic factors were not significant predictors. For FA use during pregnancy, only previous supplementation remained significant (OR = 4.10, 95% CI: 1.10\u201314.29). Awareness of recommended FA use before (35.8%) and during pregnancy (48.4%) and knowledge of neural tube defect prevention (20.0%) were low and not associated with supplementation behavior. Conclusions: A substantial gap exists between recommended and actual FA use, particularly before conception. Strengthening preconception counseling may improve timely supplementation.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijerph23030339","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T11:06:52Z","timestamp":1773054412000},"page":"339","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Awareness and Use of Folic Acid Among Pregnant Women in Western Ukraine: A Pilot Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"23","author":[{"given":"Kateryna","family":"Hlushko","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, 46001 Ternopil, Ukraine"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1234-0040","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Oksana","family":"Boyarchuk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, 46001 Ternopil, Ukraine"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Karsonovich, T., and Munakomi, S. (2026, March 05). Spina Bifida, StatPearls [Internet], Available online: https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/books\/NBK559265\/."},{"key":"ref_2","first-page":"47","article-title":"Epidemic of neural tube defects in Ukraine, or why children\u2019s death and disabilities are not prevented","volume":"47","author":"Bazylevych","year":"2016","journal-title":"Proc. Shevchenko Sci. Soc. Med. 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Womens Health"}],"container-title":["International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/3\/339\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T11:08:06Z","timestamp":1773054486000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1660-4601\/23\/3\/339"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,8]]},"references-count":29,"journal-issue":{"issue":"3","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3]]}},"alternative-id":["ijerph23030339"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/ijerph23030339","relation":{},"ISSN":["1660-4601"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1660-4601","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,8]]}}}