Haji Yusuf, Abdurahmen Junayde, Paulos Wondimagegn
1 School of Public and Environmental Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Hawassa University, Hawassa, Ethiopia.
2 Wolaita Sodo University, WolaitaSodo, Ethiopia.
Food Nutr Bull. 2017 Mar;38(1):92-102. doi: 10.1177/0379572116684909. Epub 2016 Dec 27.
Iodine deficiency is the world's single most important cause of preventable mental retardation. In Ethiopia, the knowledge and perception of food handlers toward the iodized salt consumption (ISC) was very low.
To assess knowledge and perception of food handlers toward consumption of iodized salt in Wolaita Sodo town and Sodo Zuria woreda, 2014.
The community-based cross-sectional study design was done from May 10 to May 30, 2014 in Sodo town and Sodo Zuria woreda (district), Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia. Systematic sampling techniques were used to identify study participants. Data entered into the software Epi Info version 3.5.3 and analyzed using the software SPSS version 16. To assess an association, odds ratio was used at 95% confidence interval, whereas confounding was controlled by employing multivariate logistic regression.
Lower knowledge and perception on iodine deficiency was observed. About 239 (44.7%) of the respondents had good knowledge and 228 (42.6%) had positive attitude toward consumption of iodized salt. Most (346, 64.7%) of the participants had heard about goiter, whereas only 170 (31.8%) of them associated it with iodine deficiency. About 46.4% of respondents heard about iodized salt. Respondents' age, education, family income, place of residence, and occupation had significant association with good knowledge and positive attitude toward consumption of iodized salt.
The study revealed the existence of knowledge and perception gap in iodine deficiency disorder and ISC. Household income, education of respondents, and place of residence were determinant factors for poor knowledge and perception of iodized salt. Therefore, efforts to scale-up the knowledge and perception toward ISC should focus on households with low income, educational level, and rural residence.
碘缺乏是全球可预防智力发育迟缓的最重要单一原因。在埃塞俄比亚，食品从业者对碘盐消费的知识和认知水平很低。
评估2014年沃莱塔索多镇和索多祖里亚县食品从业者对碘盐消费的知识和认知情况。
2014年5月10日至5月30日在埃塞俄比亚南部沃莱塔地区的索多镇和索多祖里亚县开展了基于社区的横断面研究。采用系统抽样技术确定研究对象。数据录入Epi Info 3.5.3软件，并使用SPSS 16软件进行分析。为评估关联性，采用95%置信区间的比值比，而通过多变量逻辑回归控制混杂因素。
观察到对碘缺乏的知识和认知较低。约239名（44.7%）受访者对碘盐消费有良好的知识，228名（42.6%）对碘盐消费持积极态度。大多数参与者（346名，64.7%）听说过甲状腺肿，而其中只有170名（31.8%）将其与碘缺乏联系起来。约46.4%的受访者听说过碘盐。受访者的年龄、教育程度、家庭收入、居住地点和职业与对碘盐消费的良好知识和积极态度有显著关联。
该研究揭示了碘缺乏病和碘盐消费方面存在知识和认知差距。家庭收入、受访者的教育程度和居住地点是碘盐知识和认知较差的决定因素。因此，扩大对碘盐消费的知识和认知的努力应侧重于低收入、低教育水平和农村居住的家庭。
