الفهرس 
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Abstract
Folic acid plays a crucial role in developing of the fetal central nervous system during the first 28 days after conception, in preventing neural tube defects. These congenital anomalies are a group of brain and spinal cord malformations that develop early in a pregnancy. Folic acid is found in supplements and fortified foods, such as rice, breakfast cereal, pasta and other cereal-grain products. Dietary folate, on the other hand, is found in foods such as leaf green vegetables, orange juice, and legumes. The proper time for taking folic acid is one month before pregnancy and during the first three months . (Herald. 2009). The present study used descriptive design .The main aim of this study was to asses knowledge of antenatal women about the benefits of taking folic acid before and during pregnancy, investigate the factors influencing their knowledge and then make group counseling sessions when needed it . The total sample were 250 pregnant women in maternal and child health care in Quesna .The sample have some criteria: their age ranged between 19 and 35 years old and some of them were from urban ,while some others were from rural areas and they differ in level of education The methods of data collection used one instrument that consists of two parts. Part one dealt with socio demographic data and the second part about assessment questionnaires about knowledge of antenatal women about folic acid the participants received an information sheet with a full explanation of the study and gave then oral consent prior to enrolment . Anonymity and confidentiality were assured and participants were told that they could withdraw from the study at any point without prejudice .
The study limitation is related to participants selected from one study site only which may limit the generalizability of the study findings . The main study findings are as follows: the finding of this study revealed that: The age of the clients ranged from 19 to 35years old, the mean age of the clients was about 27 years, while the range of height was from 146 c.m to 172 c.m and mean height was about 160 cm, and the weight ranged from 52 k.g to 90 k.g whereas the mean weight was about 69 kg. The majority of the clients 60% had a university educational level whereas those of the secondary school were about 28.8%, Primary school were about 5.6%, women whose level was only read and write was about 2.0% but the illiterate women constituted 2.8% , workers were amounted to 53.2% ,those who were house wives constituted 46.8 women those who lived in rural areas 49.2 whereas those from urban areas were about 51% , and about 46% did not have enough income. Only about 54% of all women have enough income. Most of the clients 53.6% were primigravida , while 46.4% were multi gravida, The minority of them 28.4% had histories of previous abortions, while about 71.6% have no history of previous abortion . about 7.2% had congenital anomalies in previous pregnancies, while about 92.8% have no congenital anomalies in previous pregnancies . The majority 60% had knowledge of folic acid . About 36.8% of women had their knowledge from doctors. About 7.6 % had it from nurses ,and 3.2% of them had it from reading. About 3.6% `of them had their knowledge from relatives and friends. Most of the clients about 57.6% received folic acid in the current pregnancy ,while about 42.4% of them did not take folic acid in current pregnancy . There are about 40.8 % of women take folic acid in previous pregnancies ,whereas about 59.2% did not take folic acid in pervious pregnancies . There was significant differences (p<0.05) between both educational level and occupation as regards the basic knowledge about folic acid with the majority were of university level of education and concerned to the worker occupational group. There was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the resident area and the basic knowledge about folic acid. There was significant relationship (p<0.05) between occupation and the knowledge of the foods containing folic acid with the majority were of worker group insignificant relationships (p>0.05) between both the education and the residence as regards the knowledge about foods containing folic acid. There was significant relationship (p<0.05) between occupation and the knowledge about the recommended timing of folic acid intake with the majority were of worker group insignificant relationships (p>0.05) between both the education and the residence as regards the knowledge about proper timing of folic acid intake. This study shows that there were significant differences (p<0.05) between both educational levels as regards the knowledge about benefits of folic acid with the majority were of university level of education while insignificant differences (p>0.05) between either the occupation or the residence as regards the knowledge about benefits of folic acid. There fore it was concluded that : It is recommended to all women that take counseling sessions about folic acid ,its importance ,food containing it and its proper time of intake. Most of women are aware of benefits of folic acid and its relation to congenital anomalies. Most of women aren’t aware of proper time and dose of folic acid These who have the highly educational level have more basic knowledge more than others. Physicians have most correct sources of folic acid. Health counseling programs are effective way to improve knowledge of women about folic acid and to prevent neural tube defects. Regarding study finding suggested recommendations were: 1. Daily intake of folic acid should be considered as a strategy for the prevention of neural tube defects among all pregnant women. 2. Educational intervention should be effective in raising women awareness of folic acid, its importance, and its proper timing of intake. 3. Further studies are needed to develop effective intervention for preventing and controlling of. neural tube defects in maternal and child health centers which are feasible for large numbers of women and also in media.