Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107605

Indu Ahluwalia, MPH, PHD, Division of Adult and Community Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, MS K66, Atlanta, GA 30341-3717, 770-488-5764, Iahluwalia@cdc.gov, Jean Lawrence, ScD, MPH, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, 100 S. Los Robles, 2nd fl Pasadena CA 91101, Pasadena, CA 91101, and Lina Balluz, ScD, MPH, Behavioral Surveillance Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, MS K-66, Atlanta, GA 30341.

Folic acid supplementation is recommended by health professionals for women capable of becoming pregnant to prevent neural tube defects. The authors examined the association between psychosocial factors and multivitamin use among women aged 18-40 years (n= 3,438) from Kaiser Permanente in southern California. A telephone survey elicited information about multivitamin use, psychosocial and demographic factors. Data were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and multivariate analyses, adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, tobacco and alcohol use, and discussion with a health care provider. Four psychosocial factors were created: perceived need to take multivitamins, perceived benefits, potential barriers, and locus of control. Multivitamin use was reported by 51% of the women. Of users, 79% used them regularly (>=4 times per week). In the multivariate analyses, factors associated with any multivitamin use were perceived need (OR=1.21; 95% CI=1.1-1.4), perceived benefits (OR=1.19, CI 1.07-1.31), and decrease in barriers (OR=1.59, CI 1.41-1.79). When regular users were compared to intermittent users, regular use was only associated with decrease in barriers (OR=2.35, CI 1.85-2.9) when adjusted for the other covariates in the model. These data suggest that different psychosocial factors may play a role in women's decisions about any multivitamin use and regular use. It is possible that taking multivitamins, even infrequently, depends on women's feelings about prevention, perceived benefits and barriers. Regular multivitamin use may require minimizing barriers that may impede these efforts.

Learning Objectives: Learning objectives

At the conclusion of the session, participants will be able to (
• discuss the importance of multivitamin use for preventing neural tube defects, (
• describe women’s use of multivitamins and the psychosocial determinants of this behavior, and (
• develop plans for encouraging their female constituents to use multivitamins.

Keywords: Behavioral Research, Reproductive Planning

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.