Abstract:
Folate inadequacy in pregnancy has been associated with several adverse
outcomes, including folate-responsive neural-tube defects, neural crest disorders, fetal growth
retardation, low birth weight, preterm delivery, and neonatal folate deficiency. The prevalence of
folate deficiency in low- and middle-income countries is considerably higher. Thus, this study
will narrow the information gap by assessing the prevalence of folate deficiency and associated
factors among pregnant women in the Haramaya district.
Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of folate deficiency and associated factors
among pregnant women in Haramaya district, eastern Oromiya, Ethiopia from January 5 to
February 12, 2021.
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 461 randomly selected
pregnant women. Trained data collectors utilized a pretested questionnaire, and the data
collection procedure was supervised for data completion and accuracy.Double data entry was
done using Epi Data version 3.1 software and exported to STATA version 14 (College Station,
Texas 77845 USA) for analysis. Binary logistic regression assessed the association between
folate and independent variables. Covariates with a p-value of <0.25 in the binary analysis were
considered for multivariate analysis. The adjusted odds ratio with a 95 % confidence interval
showed the strength of the association.
Results: The prevalence of folate deficiency was 49.33% (95% CI: 44.59 -54.07). The pregnant
women having iron deficiency anemia (AOR=2.92, 95%CI=1.84-4.63), women with good
knowledge of folate-rich foods (AOR=0.34, 95%CI: 0.15-0.76), and women who took iron and
folic acid supplementation (AOR=0.57, 95%CI: 0.36-0.89) were significantly associated with
folate deficiency.
Conclusion:Folate deficiency was high among pregnant women in eastern Ethiopia. Our
findings suggest that iron deficiency anemia was also associated with folate deficiency, iron and
folic acid supplementation, and good knowledge of folate-rich foods. Therefore, there is a clear
need for further studies using all the available folate biomarkers to elucidate the potential risk
factors of folate deficiency among pregnant women
