Increasing Awareness and Use of Iodised Salt in a Marginalised Community Setting in North-West Pakistan

Nutrients

Nicola Lowe³  Elizabeth Westaway³  Akhtar Munir⁴  Saba Tahir⁴  Fiona Dykes²  Monique Lhussier⁵  Mick McKeown¹  Michael Zimmerman⁶  Maria Andersson⁶  Sara Stinca⁶ 

[1] School of Nursing, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK;Maternal and Infant Nutrition and Nurture Unit (MAINN), University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK;International Institute of Nutritional Sciences and Applied Food Safety Studies, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE, UK;Abaseen Foundation, Peshawar 25000, Pakistan;Department of Public Health and Wellbeing, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne NE7 7XA, UK;Human Nutrition Laboratory, Institute of Food, Nutrition, and Health, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland;

关键词: iodine deficiency;    goitre;    urinary iodine concentration;    community engagement;    iodised salt;    Pakistan;    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nu7115490

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Iodine deficiency is still prevalent in parts of Pakistan, despite the introduction of a national Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme in 1994. The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the knowledge, attitudes and practice regarding the use of iodised salt in a brick kiln community, and to use this information to design an intervention to increase its consumption. A cross-sectional survey was used to assess the use of iodised salt and focus group discussions explored the attitudes and barriers to its use. Thematically analysed transcripts informed the design of a 4-month intervention. Iodised salt sales and urine iodine concentration (UIC) were monitored to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. At baseline, 2.6% of households reported use of iodised salt and barriers included its higher cost and belief about a negative impact on reproduction. During the intervention, sales of salt labelled as iodised increased by 45%, however this was not reflected in an increase in UIC. This study highlighted the positive impact of education and awareness raising on iodised salt consumption in a hard to reach, marginalised community. However, issues regarding adequate iodisation by local producers and appropriate storage also need to be urgently addressed at a provincial level.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.