Awareness and intake of folic acid for the prevention of neural tube defects among Lebanese women of childbearing age.

Since the early 1990s, international recommendations have promoted folic acid supplementation during the periconception period as an effective way of preventing neural tube defects (NTDs). However, the adoption of this recommendation remains insufficient. To assess the awareness and actual intake of folic acid among married Lebanese women aged 18-45 years, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 600 women selected from all five administrative districts in Lebanon, using a multistage cluster sampling procedure.

[Health habits and vaccination status of Lebanese residents: are future doctors applying the rules of prevention?].

Background: There has never been a nationally representative survey of medical students' personal health-related practices, although they are inherently of interest and may affect patient-counseling practices. This study evaluated the health practices and the vaccination status of first year residents working at the academic hospital Hôtel-Dieu de France.

Methods: The medical files of all medicine and surgery residents in their first year of specialization between the years 2005 and 2008 were reviewed.