Limited Access to Iodized Salt among the Poor and Disadvantaged in North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal, India

Authors

  • Tapas Kumar Sen Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal
  • Dilip Kumar Das R.G. Kar Medical College, Kolkata
  • Akhil Bandhu Biswas B.S. Medical College, Bankura, West Bengal
  • Indranil Chakrabarty Medical College, Kolkata, West Bengal
  • Sujishnu Mukhopadhyay Burdwan Medical College, West Bengal
  • Rabindranath Roy Burdwan Medical College, West Bengal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3329/jhpn.v28i4.6043

Keywords:

Community-based studies, Cross-sectional studies, Descriptive studies, Goitre, Iodine, Iodine deficiency, Iodized salt, Socioeconomic factors, India

Abstract

Iodine deficiency is endemic in West Bengal as evident from earlier studies. This community-based, crosssectional descriptive study was conducted in North 24 Parganas district during August-November 2005 to assess the consumption of adequately-iodized salt and to ascertain the various factors that influence access to iodized salt. In total, 506 households selected using the multi-stage cluster-sampling technique and all 79 retail shops from where the study households buy salt were surveyed. The iodine content of salt was tested by spot iodine-testing kits. Seventy-three percent of the households consumed salt with adequate iodine content (≥15 ppm). Consumption of adequately-iodized salt was lower among rural residents [prevalence ratio (PR): 0.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.7-0.9], Muslims (PR: 0.8, 95% CI 0.7-0.9), and households with monthly per-capita income of ≤US$ 10 (PR: 0.7, 95% CI 0.6-0.8). Those who heard and were aware of the risk of iodine-deficiency disorders and of the benefit of iodized salt were more likely to use appropriate salt (PR: 1.2, 95% CI 1.1-1.3). Those who were aware of the ban on non-iodized salt were more likely to consume adequately-iodized salt (PR: 1.1, 95% CI 1.01-1.3). The iodine content was higher in salt sold in sealed packets (PR: 2.9, 95% CI 1.8-4.8) and stored on shelves (PR: 1.6, 95% CI 1.3-2.0). Seventy-two percent of the salt samples from the retail shops had the iodine content of ≥15 ppm. The findings indicate that elimination of iodine deficiency will require targeting the vulnerable and poor population.

Key words: Community-based studies; Cross-sectional studies; Descriptive studies; Goitre; Iodine; Iodine deficiency; Iodized salt; Socioeconomic factors; India

DOI: 10.3329/jhpn.v28i4.6043

J HEALTH POPUL NUTR 2010 Aug;28(4):369-374

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Author Biography

Tapas Kumar Sen, Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of West Bengal

Deceased

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How to Cite

Sen, T. K., Das, D. K., Biswas, A. B., Chakrabarty, I., Mukhopadhyay, S., & Roy, R. (2010). Limited Access to Iodized Salt among the Poor and Disadvantaged in North 24 Parganas District of West Bengal, India. Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition, 28(4), 369–374. https://doi.org/10.3329/jhpn.v28i4.6043

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Original Papers