Iodine deficiency disorders among school children of Malda, West Bengal, India.

A community-based, cross-sectional study was conducted among 2,392 school children, aged 8-10 years, in Malda district of West Bengal, India, in January 2001 to assess their iodine status. The children were selected through a multistage 30 cluster-sampling technique to determine the status of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) using recommended quantifiable indicators. The prevalence of goitre was assessed clinically using the standard palpation method by the teachers of Community Medicine, and a total goitre rate of 11.3% was found with no significant gender difference (p>0.05). Urinary iodine excretion (UIE) levels of 341 study subjects, selected through systematic random sampling, were analyzed by the wet digestion method to determine biochemical iodine deficiency by the teachers of Biochemistry Department. The median UIE was 15 mcg/dL, and no child had UIE value less than 5 mcg/dL. Iodine content of 1,060 salt samples tested with spot-testing kit revealed 85.1% with adequate iodine content of > or = 15 ppm. The finding of 11.3% of total goitre rate but with no evidence of current iodine deficiency (median UIE 15 mcg/dL) indicates that the Malda district is in the transition phase from iodine-deficient to iodine-sufficient.