Knowledge and practices regarding use of iodised salt among population ofselected goitre endemic districts of Bihar

Abstract

Background:Iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) are important public health problem which can be prevented by consumption of iodized salt. For sustainable elimination of IDDs, the goal of universal salt iodization (USI) is to cover more than 90% of household to consume adequately iodized salt. This study was conducted with objectives to assess knowledge and practices regarding salt consumption and to find the factors associated with consumption of adequately iodized salt in selected districts of traditional goitre belt of Bihar.

Materials and Methods: The study was a community based cross-sectional study conducted in three districts of Bihar by using cluster sampling technique from January 2018 to March 2018.

Results: Only 1.7% children and 33% adults were able to identify the condition of goitre. Among adults who identified the case as goitre, around 52% respondents had correct knowledge about cause of goitre. Around 30% caregivers knew the brand name of salt that was used in their household and only 19% of adults had heard about iodized salt.In around 13% households; salt was added at the end of cooking during food preparation. Adequately iodized salt was consumed in 73.5% households. The salt stored in air tight container had significantly higher iodine content in comparison to salt stored in open container (p=0.041).

Conclusion: The knowledge among people regarding IDDs and iodized salt was very poor which need to be focused in our national programme. The goal of USI regarding iodized salt consumption is yet to be achieved in these districts.