TITLE:
Iodine Malnutrition and Associated Factors in Schoolchildren Aged 6 to 14 Years in a Municipality Situated in the Semi-Arid Region of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil, 2008
AUTHORS:
Mariana de Souza Macedo, Romero Alves Teixeira, Élido Bonomo, Camilo Adalton Mariano da Silva, Mariângela Carneiro, Marcelo Eustáquio Silva, Emília Sakurai, Joel Alves Lamounier
KEYWORDS:
Iodine Status, Iodine Deficiency, Urinary Iodine, Iodized Salt, Schoolchildren
JOURNAL NAME:
Food and Nutrition Sciences,
Vol.5 No.20,
October
20,
2014
ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of iodine deficiency and possible correlated factors among schoolchildren in the municipality of Novo Cruzeiro-MG by means of an evaluation of urinary iodine excretion. Five hundred and forty schoolchildren aged 6 to 14 years selected by stratified sampling, were evaluated. Urine samples were analyzed using the Sandell-Kolthoff method preconized by the WHO and iodine concentrations in the salt were assessed by means of volumetric analysis, in accordance with recommendations from the Ministry of Health. Iodine deficiency was observed in 38.9% of the schoolchildren. Of these, 28.7% of them presented slight deficiency, 6.2% of them were moderately deficient and 4% of them were seriously deficient. Median urinary iodine levels in the urban and rural population were 150.8 and 119.2 μg/L, respectively, with a clear distribution of iodine deficiency among the populations (p