Dietary and water related factors associated with endemic goitre in school children in Awasa district, southern Ethiopia.

Abstract

A case control study was carried out to identify factors associated with endemic goitre in school children, 6 - 18 years of age, in Awasa district in Sidamo region, South Ethiopia. The factors considered in the study were iodine supply, intake, treated water supply, unprotected water dietary pattern, nutritional status and fluorosis. The. cases (children with visible goitre) and controls (non-goitrous children) were individually matched for age and sex. A total of 235 individually matched casecontrol pairs were identified and studied. The investigation involved clinical examination of goitre and fluorosis, laboratory analysis of iodine in urine, anthropometric questionnaire. measurement and administration of a The prevalence of area was 61.7% out goitre in school children in the study of which 11.7% was the visible goitre. The mean urinary iodine concentrations in both the case and control groups 9.7 and were 16.2 pg/dl with standard deviations of 9.9, respectively. This indicated that the iodine intake of the two groups was simi la r . Daily consumption of teff highly (P<.OOOl) associated (Eragrositis abyissinica) was with the presence of visible goitre in the study children. The odds ratio was 12.5. High rate of consumption of sugarcane was also significantly (P<.OOl) associated with the occurrence of endemic goitre. A significant (P<.OOOl) association was observed between chlorinated water supply and the presence of visible goitre in the odds ratio of 5.3. study children with an The results of this investigation suggest that da i Iy consumption of teff, was the most important factor associated with the presence of visible goitre in the school children. Other factors found to have significant association include use of treated water supply and a high rate of sugarcane consumption. Since the iodine intake was similar in both groups, therefore, important further evidence that the there results are are other factors that could be associated with the occurrence of goitre, especially in the study area.