title: Iodine Status of Women of Reproductive Age in Sierra Leone and Its Association with Household Coverage with Adequately Iodized Salt.
abstract: Salt iodization programs are a public health success in tackling iodine deficiency. Yet, a large proportion of the world's population remains at risk for iodine deficiency. In a nationally representative cross-sectional survey in Sierra Leone, household salt samples and women's urine samples were quantitatively analyzed for iodine content. Salt was collected from 1123 households, and urine samples from 817 non-pregnant and 154 pregnant women. Household coverage with adequately iodized salt (≥15 mg/kg iodine) was 80.7%. The median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of pregnant women was 175.8 µg/L and of non-pregnant women 190.8 µg/L. Women living in households with adequately iodized salt had higher median UIC (for pregnant women: 180.6 µg/L vs. 100.8 µg/L, respectively, p < 0.05; and for non-pregnant women: 211.3 µg/L vs. 97.8 µg/L, p < 0.001). Differences in UIC by residence, region, household wealth, and women's education were much smaller in women living in households with adequately iodized salt than in households without. Despite the high household coverage of iodized salt in Sierra Leone, it is important to reach the 20% of households not consuming adequately iodized salt. Salt iodization has the potential for increasing equity in iodine status even with the persistence of other risk factors for deficiency.
authors: GroundWork, Crans-près-Céligny 1299, Switzerland. fabian@groundworkhealth.org.
authors: Fabian
authors: F
authors: Rohner
authors: GroundWork, Crans-près-Céligny 1299, Switzerland. james@groundworkhealth.org.
authors: James P
authors: JP
authors: Wirth
authors: GroundWork, Crans-près-Céligny 1299, Switzerland. woody@groundworkhealth.org.
authors: Bradley A
authors: BA
authors: Woodruff
authors: UNICEF, Freetown, Sierra Leone. fchiwile@unicef.org.
authors: Faraja
authors: F
authors: Chiwile
authors: World Health Organization, Freetown, Sierra Leone. yanksonh@who.int.
authors: Hannah
authors: H
authors: Yankson
authors: Helen Keller International, Freetown, Sierra Leone. fsesay@hki.org.
authors: Fatmata
authors: F
authors: Sesay
authors: Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone. shamitamin@gmail.com.
authors: Aminata S
authors: AS
authors: Koroma
authors: GroundWork, Crans-près-Céligny 1299, Switzerland. nico@groundworkhealth.org.
authors: Nicolai
authors: N
authors: Petry
authors: Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Freetown, Sierra Leone. soeddoal@yahoo.com.
authors: Solade
authors: S
authors: Pyne-Bailey
authors: World Health Organization West Africa, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. domingueze@who.int.
authors: Elisa
authors: E
authors: Dominguez
authors: UNICEF Headquarters, New York, NY 10017, USA. rkupka@unicef.org.
authors: Roland
authors: R
authors: Kupka
authors: Helen Keller International, Freetown, Sierra Leone. mhodges@hki.org.
authors: Mary H
authors: MH
authors: Hodges
authors: World Health Organization Headquarters, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland. deonism@who.int.
authors: Mercedes
authors: M
authors: de Onis
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003677:Deficiency Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004032:Diet; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007455:Iodine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000172:deficiency / Q000652:urine; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012807:Sierra Leone; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000652:urine; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; C034024:iodized salt; D007455:Iodine
keywords: Sierra Leone; household equity; iodine status; salt iodine levels; salt iodization