Iodine Nutritional Status in Pregnant Women and Breast-feeding Women in Zhongshan in 2014

Objective To investigate the current situation and characteristics of iodine nutrition in pregnant women and breast-feeding women in Zhongshan.

Method Urinary iodine of 115 pregnant women and 125 breast-feeding women and the iodine content of edible salt in Zhongshan were selected by simple random sampling method.

Results The median of urinary iodine in pregnant women and breast-feeding women were 108.0 μg/L and 98.6 μg/L, respectively. The concentration of urinary iodine in 69.6% of pregnant women was below 150 μg/L, while that in 52.0% of breast-feeding women was below 100 μg/L. The qualification rate of iodized salt, the coverage of iodized salt and the rate for consuming qualified iodized salt were 99.33%, 99.33% and 98.67%, respectively.

Conclusions The iodine nutrition of pregnant women and breast-feeding women in Zhongshan was generally inadequate. It is of particular importance to strengthen monitoring urinary iodine level and to provide dedicated iodized salt to pregnant women and breast-feeding women in Zhongshan.