Universal Salt Iodation (USI) has been proposed as a long-term strategy to eliminate iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) worldwide. Although USI made progress in Tanzania since its inception in 1990, the degree of success in eliminating IDD differed among reports. This study aimed to assess in adolescent school girls in southern rural Tanzania their knowledge (K), attitude (A) and practices (P) on iodine nutrition and iodized salt (I-salt) use, and their associations with adequate iodine status determined by urinary iodine concentration (UIC > 50 μg/L). Adolescent girls (n=128, 14-19 yrs) attending day secondary schools were recruited and completed a validated structured questionnaire on KAP level and I-salt use and provided spot urine samples for UIC assessment. Although, the median UIC was 192 μg/L, 39% of the girls had poor iodine status (UIC <100 μg/L). Sociodemographic characteristics were positively associated with iodine KAP level (p=0.04) and dietary diversity score(p=0.03). No significant association observed between KAP level and iodine status. Our study findings underscore the importance of continuous public education regarding iodine nutrition and enforcing USI program in the areas where sale of non-I-salt is still common.
Read
