The Status of Iodine Nutrition and Iodine Deficiency Disorders among School Children in Metekel Zone, NorthWest Ethiopia
Girma Kibatu *
Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Endalkachew Kibret
Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Molla Gedefaw
Bahir Dar University, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Objectives: Iodine deficiency disorders are important public health problems in Ethiopia. The aim of this study was to measure prevalence and severity of iodine deficiency disorders among school children in Metekel zone.
Methods: A cross-sectional school based descriptive study was conducted between February 2011 and July 2012. One school covering 750 children aged between 6 and 18 years were randomly selected. Two hundred students from this school were selected by systematic random sampling. Physical examination was made according to WHO goitre classification system; 50 Salt samples from children's houses were tested for iodine using rapid field test kits and titration; a casual urine sample (5 ml) in 30 children was taken to measure urinary iodine spectrophotometrically and 5 ml venous blood sample in 37 children were collected to measure thyroid relevant blood constituents using ELISA.
Results: The total goitre prevalence was found to be 39.5 %; 60 % of the salt samples were found to be with no iodine. The median urinary iodine concentration was found to be (range 20.54 - 62.2) 39.9 µg/L. School children which were analyzed for thyroid hormones showed 18.92 % elevated and 27.03 % suppressed TSH levels.
Conclusions: The study demonstrates iodine deficiency is still a severe public health problem in the district. There is a need to further strengthen the existing controlling and monitoring system in order to achieve proper elimination of IDDs in the community.