title: Association of inadequately iodized salt use with underweight among young children in India.
abstract: This article explores the association between use of inadequately iodized cooking salt and underweight among young children in India. Considerable variation was found in the use of non-iodized salt (0 parts per million) across regions, economic status, and social groups. Results show that economic status and social affiliation of the households were the important predictors of non-iodized salt usage. Moreover, results from the multinomial logit model show that use of inadequately iodized salt is significantly associated with lower weight-for-age Z score, after adjusting for potential confounding variables. Nonuse of adequately iodized (15+ parts per million) salt is statistically associated with moderate underweight (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07-1.11) and with severe underweight (RRR = 1.18; 95% CI = 1.15-1.21). Concerted effort is needed to correct the inequity in the access to iodized salt to improve the nutritional status of children in India.
authors.affiliation: University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA skumar3@uw.edu.
authors.forename: Santosh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Department of Society, Human Development, and Health, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Berkman
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007455:Iodine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D013851:Thinness / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; C034024:iodized salt; D007455:Iodine
keywords: India; iodine deficiency disorder; iodized salt; malnutrition; underweight