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

Fuad I. Abbag, Saeed A. Abu-Eshy, Ahmed A. Mahfouz, Mohammed A. Alsaleem, Safar A. Alsaleem, Ayyub A. Patel, Tarek M. Mirdad, Ayed A. Shati and Nabil J. Awadalla
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Fuad I. Abbag: Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Saeed A. Abu-Eshy: Department of Surgery, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed A. Mahfouz: Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed A. Alsaleem: Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Safar A. Alsaleem: Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Ayyub A. Patel: Department of Clinical Biochemistry, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Tarek M. Mirdad: Department of Orthopedics, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Ayed A. Shati: Department of Child Health, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia
Nabil J. Awadalla: Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, King Khalid University, Abha 61421, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 14, 1-9

Abstract: 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). Conclusion: 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.

Keywords: iodine deficiency disorders; stunting; Saudi Arabia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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