Folic Acid Supplementation for Pregnant Women Scholar Practitioner Project Please write an APA formated research paper using the topic and the outline (bot

Folic Acid Supplementation for Pregnant Women Scholar Practitioner Project Please write an APA formated research paper using the topic and the outline (both are attached). Additionally the artticles that are neeeded to be summarized in the “Synthesis of research findings” section are attached as well. Running head: FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
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Premise
Folic acid for pregnant women provides a wide range of benefits which includes reduces
birth defects associated with brain and spinal code (Angelica, 2017). According to World Health
Organization, folic acid helps reduce birth defects in infants. WHO recommends pregnant
women to consume 400 µg (0.4 mg) for at least thirty days of conception (Angelica, 2017).
Taking folic reduces risks of birth defects related to the brain and spinal cord and increases the
chances of survival of infants. This helps the mother and family members avoid excess costs that
would be required to fix the defects after birth.
A study conducted in Korea with pregnant women at 12-18 gestation weeks, showed that
serum foliate was associated with low risk of reported atopic dermatitis in offspring after 24
months of birth (As cited by McStay, Prescott & Palmer, 2017). However, the study did not
reveal an association between folic acid and late pregnancy between 29-42 weeks of gestation.
This can be explained by differences between countries. Additionally, folic acid increases
vitamin content in both the baby and mother regales of whether there is enough food to provide
natural foliates and vitamins. The acid plays a vital role in production of red blood cells in babies
(Barua, 2014), which makes it essential for pregnant mothers to start taking foliates and increase
intake in their system at an early stages of their pregnancies. This practice leads to improved
brain and spinal of children.
Therefore, the aim of this research is to shed light on the effects of using folic acid when
consumed by pregnant women with emphasis on women in undeserved regions of the United
States of America. The study will play a significant role by bringing to light the light the required
amount of folic acid to be consumed at a given period by pregnant women. The study will
promote the consumption of folic by explaining its benefits while at the same time restricting its
FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
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intake by exposing the detrimental effects of too much consumption. This will help women reap
maximum benefits of folic vitamin supplement. Findings from the study will provide useful
information related to folic supplements to women, healthcare practitioners and researchers
interested in the topic by.

FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
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References
Angelica, O. Linares, J. A. (2017). Folic acid supplementation among pregnant women in
southern Brazil: prevalence and factors associated, 535-54.
Barua, S. K. (2014). Folic acid supplementation in pregnancy and implications in health and
disease. Journal of biomedical science, 21(1), 77.
McStay, C., Prescott, S., Bower, C., & Palmer, D. (2017). Maternal folic acid supplementation
during pregnancy and childhood allergic disease outcomes: a question of
timing?. Nutrients 9(2), 123.
Vollset, S. E. (2013). Effects of folic acid supplementation on overall and site-specific
Zerfu, T. A. (2013). Micronutrients and pregnancy; effect of supplementation on pregnancy and
pregnancy outcomes: a systematic review. Nutrition Journal
Running head: SCHOLAR-PRACTITIONER PROJECT OUTLINE
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Title page
Abstract
Introduction
Background information
Folic acid consumption during pregnancy reduces chances of birth defects
Neural Tube Disorders may result if insufficient folic acid is not consumed.
It is recommended for pregnant women to consume 400 µg (0.4 mg) for at least
thirty days of conception
Descriptive epidemiology
Pregnant women at 12-18 gestation weeks, showed that serum foliate was
associated with low risk of reported atopic dermatitis in offspring after 24
months of birth Occupational exposure is also a risk factor
Folic acid plays a vital role in production of red blood cells in babies which
makes it essential for pregnant mothers to start taking foliates and increase
intake in their system at an early stages of their pregnancies. This practice leads
to improved brain and spinal of children
Methods used to conduct a systematic literature review
Databases used
PubMed
Medline
Walden Student Library
Inclusion and exclusion criteria
Include papers published within 5 years, in peer-reviewed journals
Exclude papers that conducted studies outside of the United States
FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
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Key search terms
Folic acid consumption, Folic and socioeconomic status, folic acid intake and
birth effects
Results of the systematic literature review
Framework/Theory
Health Belief Model (brief summary of theory to be used to study this topic)
Discussed in Araban M, Baharzadeh K, Karimy M
Evaluating the effectiveness of health belief model interventions in
Improving folic acid adherence
Methods
Mixed Methods design (brief summary of method to be used to study this topic)
Used in Tariq & Woodman
Strengths: good for researching highly complex multifaceted data
Limitations: Time Consuming & Expensive, Difficult finding a researcher
with ‘experience in both qualitative and quantitative research
Synthesis of research findings (brief summary of each of each)
Araban M, Baharzadeh K, Karimy M (Nutrition modification aimed at
enhancing dietary iron and folic acid intake: an application of health belief
model in practice.2017)
Tariq, S. and Woodman, J. (2013) Using Mixed Methods in Health
Research. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Short Reports, 4,
2042533313479197.)
Discussion
Strengths and limitations of systematic literature review
Strengths: Many studies showing knowledge about consumption and correct
periconceptional use of folic acid also improved
Limitations: Interventions need to be described in full to allow for the
FOLIC ACID SUPPLEMENTATION FOR PREGNANT WOMEN
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identification of effective components and replication of studies.
Policy implications
Need for stronger folic acid mandated amongst pregnant women
Key stakeholders
Pregnant women
Physicians, and public health entities across all levels (i.e. Federal, state, and local
Public health agencies)
Recommendations for future research
Folic acids supplementation effective in reducing birth defects, but needs
to be more readily available in the food supply
Additional initiatives could complement existing public health strategies.
Conclusions
Folic acid reduces the chances of childhood birth defects (e.g. NTDs).
Folic acid fortification in food stuffs and medical products would complement existing
public health initiatives.
Sustained campaigning to maintain awareness about and promote periconceptional
consumption of folic acid in order to reduce the incidence of NTDs is clearly
needed.
References
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METHODOLOGICAL
REVIEW
Using mixed methods in health
research
Shema Tariq1 . Jenny Woodman2
1
School of Health Sciences, City University London, EC1A 7QN, London, UK; 2MRC Centre of Epidemiology for Child Health,
UCL Institute of Child Health, WC1N 1EH, London, UK
Correspondence to: Shema Tariq. Email: shema.tariq.2@city.ac.uk
DECLARATIONS
Competing interests
Summary
Mixed methods research is the use of quantitative and qualitative methods in a single
study or series of studies. It is an emergent methodology which is increasingly used by
None declared
Funding
This work was
funded by the
health researchers, especially within health services research. There is a growing literature on the theory, design and critical appraisal of mixed methods research.
However, there are few papers that summarize this methodological approach for health
practitioners who wish to conduct or critically engage with mixed methods studies. The
objective of this paper is to provide an accessible introduction to mixed methods for
Council (MRC)
clinicians and researchers unfamiliar with this approach. We present a synthesis of key
methodological literature on mixed methods research, with examples from our own
[grant number:
work and that of others, to illustrate the practical applications of this approach within
Medical Research
G0701648 to ST], and
health research. We summarize definitions of mixed methods research, the value of this
the MRC with the
approach, key aspects of study design and analysis, and discuss the potential challenges
Economic and
of combining quantitative and qualitative methods and data. One of the key challenges
Social Research
within mixed methods research is the successful integration of quantitative and quali-
Council (ESRC)
[grant number:
G0800112 to JW]
Ethical approval
tative data during analysis and interpretation. However, the integration of different types
of data can generate insights into a research question, resulting in enriched understanding of complex health research problems.
Introduction
No ethical approval
was required for this
work
Guarantor
ST
Contributorship
This work was conceived by both ST
and JW who each
carried out an independent literature
review and collaborated on the structure and content of
this report. ST wrote
Mixed methods research is the use of quantitative
and qualitative methods in one study. Research
is often dichotomized as quantitative or qualitative. Quantitative research, such as clinical trials
or observational studies, generates numerical
data. On the other hand qualitative approaches
tend to generate non-numerical data, using methods such as semi-structured interviews, focus
group discussions and participant observation.
Historically, quantitative methods have dominated
health research. However, qualitative methods
have been increasingly accepted by the health
research community in the past two decades,
with a rise in publication of qualitative studies.1
As the value of qualitative approaches has been
recognized, there has been a growing interest in
combining qualitative and quantitative methods.
A recent review of health services research within
England has shown an increase in the proportion
of studies classified as mixed methods from 17% in
the mid-1990s to 30% in the early 2000s.2 In this
paper, we present a synthesis of key literature on
mixed methods research, with examples from our
own work and that of others to illustrate the practical applications of this approach. This paper is
aimed at health researchers and practitioners who
are new to the field of mixed methods research and
may only have experience of either quantitative or
qualitative approaches and methodologies. We
wish to provide these readers with an accessible
introduction to the increasingly popular methodology of mixed methods research. We hope this
will help readers to consider whether their research
questions might best be answered by a mixed
methods study design, and to engage critically
with health research that uses this approach.
J R Soc Med Sh Rep 2010: 0: 1–8. DOI: 10.1177/2042533313479197
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Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine Short Reports
the manuscript with
revisions and editing
done by JW
Acknowledgements
We thank
Professors
Jonathan Elford and
Ruth Gilbert for their
comments on draft
manuscripts
Provenance
This article was
submitted by the
authors and peer
reviewed by
Geoffrey Harding
Methods
The authors each independently carried out a narrative literature review and met to discuss findings.
Literature was identified via searches of PubMed,
Google and Google Scholar, and hand-searches
of the Journal of Mixed Methods Research, with
relevant publications selected after discussion. An
important consideration was that papers either
had a methodological focus or contained a detailed
description of their mixed methods design. For
PubMed and Google searches, similar terms were
used. For example, the PubMed strategy consisted
of title and abstract searches for: ((mixed methods)
OR ((mixed OR (qualitative AND quantitative))
AND methods)). We also drew upon recommendations from mixed methods conferences and seminars, and reference lists from key publications.
What is mixed methods
research?
The most widely accepted definition of mixed
methods research is research that ‘focuses on collecting, analysing, and mixing both quantitative
and qualitative data in a single study or a series
of studies’.3 Central to the definition is the use
of both quantitative and qualitative methods
in one study (or a series of connected studies).
Separate quantitative and qualitative studies
addressing the same research question independently would not be considered ‘mixed methods’ as
there would be no integration of approaches at the
design, analysis or presentation stage. A recent
innovation in mixed methods research is the
mixed methods systematic review, which sets
out to systematically appraise both quantitative
and qualitative literature on a subject area and
then synthesize the findings.
Why are mixed methods
approaches used?
The underlying assumption of mixed methods
research is that it can address some research
questions more comprehensively than by using
either quantitative or qualitative methods alone.3
Questions that profit most from a mixed
methods design tend to be broad and complex,
with multiple facets that may each be best explored
by quantitative or qualitative methods. See Boxes 1
and 2 for examples from our own work.
Box 1.
Examples of authors’ mixed methods research – JW.
How are general practitioners (GPs) responding to possible child maltreatment in England? A mixed methods study
There is considerable debate about the role that GPs should play in the management of child maltreatment (abuse or neglect). This study
aimed to describe and understand the types of responses that GPs were making when faced with a child or family who prompted
concerns about child maltreatment. The broad research question about GP responses to child maltreatment prompted several subquestions; each answered by either a quantitative or qualitative methodology. These sub-questions included:

How and why do GPs record child maltreatment-related concerns in the electronic health record? (qualitative)4
How frequently do GPs record child maltreatment-related concerns in the electronic health record? (quantitative)?5
Does recording vary over time, by child characteristic and by practice? (quantitative)5
How do primary health care practitioners view the GP’s role in responding to child maltreatment? (qualitative)
What do primary health care practitioners tell us GPs are doing to respond to children who prompt concerns and why? (qualitative)
We analysed quantitative data from the Health Improvement Network (THIN) UK primary care database and conducted qualitative
interviews with GPs, Health Visitors and Practice nurses and undertook observations in primary health care settings. In this study, there
were two stages of analysis. First, we analysed the data from each study separately and presented findings from each of the data as
answers to the sub-questions. Secondly, we integrated the two data and findings to provide a multi-faceted insight into the broader
research question about GP responses to maltreatment. A mixed methods design was chosen to facilitate increased breadth and range
of study findings; both illuminated different aspects of the same complex issue. In this case, the two methods allowed access to data
and insights that each method alone could not provide. Insights from the mixed methods design included differences between the type
of maltreatment concerns that are recorded by GPs in the quantitative dataset and the types of concern that were preoccupying and
resource-intensive according to the interviews. The interview and observation data also provided an understanding of a wide range of
relevant GP responses, from the perspective of the primary care team, whereas the quantitative dataset could only provide data about
recording practices.
2
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Using mixed methods in health research
Usually, quantitative research is associated
with a positivist stance and a belief that reality
that can be measured and observed objectively.
Most commonly, it sets out to test an a priori
hypothesis and is therefore conventionally
described as ‘deductive’. Strengths of quantitative
research include its procedures to minimize confounding and its potential to generate generalizable findings if based on samples that are
both large enough and representative. It remains
the dominant paradigm in health research.
However, this deductive approach is less suited
to generating hypotheses about how or why
things are happening, or explaining complex
social or cultural phenomena.
Qualitative research most often comes from an
interpretive framework and is usually informed
by the belief that there are multiple realities
shaped by personal viewpoints, context and
meaning. In-depth qualitative research aims to
provide a rich description of views, beliefs and
meaning. It also tends to acknowledge the role
of researcher and context in shaping and
producing the data. Qualitative approaches
are described as ‘inductive’ as questions are
often open-ended with the analysis allowing
hypotheses to emerge from data. High-quality
qualitative research can generate robust theory
that is applicable to contexts outside of the study
area in question, helping to guide practitioners
and policy-makers.8 However, for research that
aims to directly impact on policy and practice,
the findings of qualitative research can be limited
by the small sample sizes that are necessary for indepth exploratory work and the consequent lack
of generalizabilty.
Mixed methods research therefore has the
potential to harness the strengths and counterbalance the weaknesses of both approaches and can
be especially powerful when addressing complex,
multifaceted issues such as health services interventions9 and living with chronic illness.10
There are many reasons why researchers
choose to combine quantitative and qualitative
methods in a study.11,12 We list some common reasons below, using a hypothetical research question
about adolescents’ adherence to anticonvulsant
medication to illustrate real world applications.
. Complementarity: Using data obtained by
one method to illustrate results from another.
An example of this would be a survey of
Box 2.
Examples of authors’ mixed methods research – ST.
The impact of African ethnicity and migration on pregnancy in women living with HIV in the UK: a mixed methods study
Increasing numbers of HIV-infected women in the UK are becoming pregnant; the majority are Africans. This study aimed to explore
outcomes and experiences of pregnancy in migrant African women living with HIV in the UK. This is a complex question encompassing
medical and sociocultural factors. Specific objectives included:

Exploring the association between maternal (i) ethnicity, (ii) African region of birth and (iii) duration of residence in the UK and: timing
of antenatal booking,6 uptake of antiretroviral therapy in pregnancy, virological suppression at delivery, mother-to-child transmission
of HIV, and return for HIV follow-up after pregnancy. (quantitative)
Exploring possible cultural and socioeconomic factors that may contribute to any identified disparities in clinical outcomes.
(qualitative)
Understanding the experiences of pregnancy and health care systems in migrant African women living with HIV in the UK.
(qualitative)
We conducted analyses of national surveillance data followed by semi-structured interviews with pregnant African wom…
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