A study of prevalence of Goiter among 6-12 years old school children: an observational study

Abstract

Aim: In the present study we have estimated the prevalence of goiter in the age group of 6-12 years in district Bihar, India and have assessed type of salt consumed by the population. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive  in the Department of Community Medicine, Anugrah Narayan Magadh Medical College and Hospital, Gaya, Bihar, India from 1 year was conducted among school children aged 6-12 years in Bihar India . A total of 600 children (300 urban and 300 rural) were selected for goiter examination by multistage random cluster sampling technique. A total of 200 children were tested for the median urinary concentration and 200 salt samples were tested from the households of the study population. Results: The total Goiter rate was 8.67% among primary school children aged 6-12 years with a significant difference between ages. As the age increased the goiter prevalence also increased. The median urinary iodine excretion level was found to be 133 µg/l and 85% salt samples had >15 ppm iodine content.

Conclusions: Present study shows mild goiter prevalence in primary school children in Bihar, India and an adequate iodine content of salt and urine.

Keywords: Goiter, Prevalence, IDD, Urinary iodine