Understanding the intention to permanently follow a high folate diet amonga sample of low-income pregnant women according to the Health Belief Model

Despite folate fortification of the US food supply beginning January 1, 199 8, evidence indicates that a substantial proportion of women of childbearin g age will continue to have folate intakes inadequate for the prevention of neural tube defects (NTDs), Therefore, health education remains an essenti al component of this public health campaign. The purpose of this study was to determine the applicability of the Health Belief Model (HBM) to understa nding the intention to permanently follow a high folate diet among low-inco me pregnant women. A convenience sample of 251 low-income pregnant women pa rticipated in individual 15 min interviews assessing their folate attitudes and beliefs according to the model, Correlations consistent with the HEM w ere found between the perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceiv ed benefits, perceived barriers, self-efficacy and cues to action construct s, and participants' intention to permanently follow a high folate diet (fo late intention), In regression analyses, the perceived benefits construct w as consistently the most predictive of folate intention. Participants were generally unfamiliar with and had many misperceptions concerning both folat e and NTDs, The HEM may offer an effective foundation for development of ta ilored educational interventions promoting permanent consumption of a high folate diet among low-income women.