IODINE NUTRITIONAL STATUS AMONG ADOLESCENTS SCHOOL GIRLS IN SHARIAR: A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY

Background and Aim: Iodine deficiency (ID) is still one of the most common micronutrient deficiencies, although significant progress against ID has been reported worldwide and millions of people have insufficient iodine intake. The aim of the present study was to assess dietary intake of main sources of iodine and the impact of salt iodization as well as prevalence of ID in the area previously known to have severe ID.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 223 female students aged 14–19 years randomly selected in Shariar, Tehran. Iodine concentration in spot urine samples as well as iodine content in household salt were measured. Also data on consumed iodine-rich food sources were collected using a validated food frequency questionnaire.Results: Median urinary iodine was 129 µg/L. The prevalence of mild and moderate ID was observed among 36.7% of the students and 14.3% had urinary iodine < 50 µg/L. Median salt iodine was 24.30 ppm and 35.9% contained less than 20 ppm. There was a significant relationship between salt iodine content and urinary iodine excretion (P=0.049). Among iodine–rich food sources, weekly frequency consumption of fish and tuna fish were correlated with urinary level of iodine (r=0.16, p=0.047).Conclusion: Our findings revealed that around half of adolescent girls have ID and iodized salt, fish and tuna fish are the most important dietary source of iodine. This study demonstrated that ID is still a serious public health problem in shahriar and public health strategies, including regular monitoring and nutritional education are required to improve the iodine status.

Keywords:

Iodine deficiency , Iodized salt , Adolescents