Iodine Deficiency Disorders as a Predictor of Stunting among Primary School Children in the Aseer Region, Southwestern Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the present occurrence of stunting and explore the role of iodine deficiency disorders (IDDs) as a predictor of stunting among primary school children in the Aseer Region.

METHODS

In a cross-sectional investigation on school children in the Aseer region, thyroid enlargement was evaluated clinically. Urine was collected to evaluate iodine content.

RESULTS

The present study involved 3046 school-age pupils. The study disclosed a total goiter rate of 24.0% (95% CI: 22.5-25.5%). The median urinary iodine content (UIC) was 17.0 µg/L. A prevalence of stunting (height for age z score of less than -2) of 7.8% (95% CI: 6.9-8.8%) was found. In a logistic regression model, pupils having clinical goiter (aOR = 1.739; 95% CI: 1.222-2.475) and students having UIC of less than 17 µg/L (aOR = 1.934; 95% CI: 1.457-2.571) were considerably related with stunting. In the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, urinary iodine content to forecast stunting was good (AUC = 0.611, 95% CI: 0.594-0.629). The curve recognized the optimum cutoff point of urinary iodine content to be ≤19.0 µg/L. The sensitivity was 59.66% (95% CI: 53.1-66.0) and the specificity was 57.62% (95% CI: 55.8-59.5). The present study showed that stunting among school-aged children presents a mild public health problem. On the other hand, a severe iodine deficiency situation was revealed among school children in the Aseer region. Continuous monitoring of iodine status among school children is therefore necessary. Concerted interventions that blend nutrition-sensitive with nutrition-specific approaches are expected to influence decreasing stunting significantly.