Prevalence and associated factors of goiter among rural children aged 6-12 years old in Northwest Ethiopia, cross -sectional study

Abstract

BackgroundGoiter, an indicator of chronic iodine deficiency, is a major public health problem for populations living with iodine deficient environment, particularly for young children. It is a threat to the social and economic development of many developing countries including Ethiopia. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence and associated factors of goiter among rural children aged 6-12 years, Northwest Ethiopia.MethodsA community based cross-sectional study was employed from July to December 2012 in Lay Armachiho district. A total of 698 children aged 6-12 years were included in the study. Multistage sampling was used. Children were examined for the presence/absence of goiter using a criterion set by World Health Organization. The level of Iodine of the salt was estimated by using spot testing kits. Descriptive and summary statistics were employed. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were used to identify associated factors. The degree of association was assessed by using Odds ratio with 95% confidence interval were computed to see the presence and strength of association.ResultsTotally 694 children were included in the analysis. The prevalence of goiter was found to be 37.6%. Goiter of grade 1 was 28.5% and that of grade 2 was 9.1%. 29.7% of the samples had adequate iodine content. The age of child (AOR: 1.24,95% CI: 1.12, 1.36), being female (AOR = 1.98, 95% CI: 1.38-2.85), salt iodine level (AOR = 0.44, 95% CI: 0.27, 0.71), family history of goiter (AOR = 3.18, 95% CI: 2.08, 4.858), fish consumption (AOR = 0.42, 95% CI; 0.22, 0.80) were factors associated with goiter.ConclusionChronic iodine deficiency was a severe public health problem in the study communities. Ensuring the consumption of iodized salt and promotion of fish intake at the household level are highly recommended.

Progress and challenges in eliminating iodine deficiency in Ethiopia: a systematic review

“…On the basis of TSH values, the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction was 45.95 % of which 18.92 and 27.03 % had elevated and suppressed TSH levels, respectively. A comparable prevalence of goiter (37.6 %) was found in the Lay Armachiho district in 2014 with 28.5 % having a grade 1 and 9.1 % having a grade 2 goiter [31].…”

“…Southern Nation Nationalities and Peoples were targeted with three independent studies of zones and districts such as Gamo Gofa [19], Kafa [22], Sidama [23][24][25], Hawasa [26] and Sodo [27,28]. Four reports on the Amhara region targeted areas in Shoa zone [19], Bahir Dar town [29], Wombera and Burie districts [30], and Lay Armachiho district [31]. Benshangul Gumuz region (Metekel zone) [32] and Tigray region (Neksege subdistrict) [33] had each of a single independent report.…”

“…• Nationwide 3 [13,16,17] • Tigray 2 [5,33] • Amhara 3 [29][30][31] • Oromia 5 [7,11,18,20,21] • Addis Ababa 1 [34] • Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Region (SNNPR)…”

Iodine deficiency and associated factors among school children: a cross-sectional study in Ethiopia

“…The tool contained nine food groups, and it was aimed to reflect the micronutrient adequacy of the diet [32]. Mothers/guardians were requested to list the food consumed by the children in the previous 24 h preceeding the date of survey, and the reported food items were categorized into the nine food groups.…”

“…Mothers/guardians were requested to list the food consumed by the children in the previous 24 h preceeding the date of survey, and the reported food items were categorized into the nine food groups. The final DDS containg a maximum of nine scores was classified into three categories as poor, medium, and high dietary diversity when the child was served with a diet containing ≤3, 4–5, and ≥6 food groups, respectively [32]. …”