Abstract
BackgroundDespite the universal iodization of salt in Ethiopia, iodine deficiency disorder remains a major public health problem and continued to affect a large segment of the population. It is thus essential to assess factors contributing to the unacceptably high endemic goiter rate in the country and avail evidence for further additional interventions. In line with this, we examined the association of dietary pattern and iodine deficiency among school-age children in Ethiopia.MethodWe conducted a school-based cross-sectional study among 767 children aged 6 to 12 in southwest Ethiopia. We collected socio-demographic and other important health related information using a pre-tested structured questionnaire through the interview. Dietary pattern of children was measured using modified Hellen Keller’s food frequency questionnaire. We measured iodine deficiency using urinary iodine concentration level and total goiter rate, according to the World Health Organization threshold criteria. We used a multivariate linear regression model to identify dietary and sociodemographic factors that affect urinary iodine level among children.ResultOut of the 767 children included in the study, 12% and 4% of children have grade 1 and grade 2 goiter respectively, making the total goiter rate 16%. While the prevalence of iodine deficiency based on urinary iodine concentration is 58.8% of which 13.7% had severe, 18.6% had moderate and 26.5% had mild form. The proportion of children who consumed godere/taro root/, banana, corn, Abyssinian cabbage, and potato, respectively at daily basis 57.8%, 53.1%, 37.9%, and 31.2%, respectively. Age (β = -0.7, 95%CI = -1.1, -0.4), sex (β = -22.3, 95%CI = -33.8, -10.8), consumption of taro root (β = -27.4, 95%CI = -22.9, -31.8), cabbage (β = -11.7, 95%CI = -5.7, -17.6), Abyssinian cabbage (β = 12.4, 95%CI = 6.7, 18.2), and banana (β = 5.6, 95%CI = 0.01, 11.2) significantly associated with urinary iodine level.ConclusionIodine deficiency remains an important public health problem in southwest Ethiopia. Over-consumption of goitrogenic foods and under-consumption of iodine-rich foods were prevalent and associated with lower urinary iodine level. Therefore, dietary counseling apart from universal salt iodization is recommended.
Highlights
Iodine is an essential micronutrient that is needed for the production of thyroid hormone
Iodine deficiency (ID) occurs when iodine intake falls below the recommended level and the thyroid gland is no longer able to synthesize sufficient amounts of thyroid hormone
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, approximately 37% of school-age children worldwide are at risk of insufficient iodine intake [3]
Summary
Iodine is an essential micronutrient that is needed for the production of thyroid hormone. Its deficiency is associated with a wider range of health problems in all age groups [3, 5]. Iodine deficiency (ID) occurs when iodine intake falls below the recommended level and the thyroid gland is no longer able to synthesize sufficient amounts of thyroid hormone. It is among the most common preventable cause of mental retardation in children [6, 7] and could result in decreased physical growth, poor school performance and lower body resistance to infections [8,9,10,11]. We examined the association of dietary pattern and iodine deficiency among school-age children in Ethiopia
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