Prevalence of goitre among primary school children and associated factors in Mbeya district council - Mbeya region

Abstract

Mbeya district council is among the districts in Tanzania where Iodine Deficiency Disorders is still a problem of public health significance. A study was conducted in Mbeya district council to determine the current iodine deficiency status by assessing the prevalence of goitre among school children and factors associated with the problem. A total of 553 school children aged 6 to 18 years were examined for goitre, using WHO classification and salt brought from their homes was tested for iodine content using MBI iodine test kit. A total of 311 households were randomly selected from the school villages for interviews on utilization and awareness on iodated salt and its relationship with level of education, urban and rural setting and type of salt used in their homes. The type and frequency of consumption of foods containing goitrogenic substances was also studied. The prevalence of total goitre was 25.7 percent being higher in females than males and in adolescent children aged 13 to 18 years than those of 6 to 12 years. There was no significant difference in goitre among children in highlands or lowlands or those from urban and rural schools. About 97 percent of the households were using iodated salt although only 45 percent of salt samples tested were adequately iodated. Awareness on iodated salt and iodine deficiency disorders was higher among interviewees who were educated than those with no formal education. The other factors associated with iodated salt included type of salt preferred, urban and rural settings, and the price of salt. The most commonly consumed foods which contain goitrogens were sweet potatoes, cabbage, sorghum and peaches. The findings in this study indicate although a large proportion of salts at household level are iodated, people are still not aware of iodated salt (29.6%) and the problem ofIDD (26.7%), hence do not store salt properly resulting to loss of iodine. Education to the population to raise awareness on the importance of iodated salt is necessary in order to reduce the problem of IDD in Mbeya.