Violence during pregnancy is a common public health problem in Malatya. Low education level in partners, low family income, husband's unemployment, urban settlement, unwanted pregnancy and smoking should alert health staff towards violence at pregnancy and training of health personnel on the subject is recommended.

ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the urinary I excretion of pregnant women in Malatya Province, eastern Turkey.Design and settingA cross-sectional study was performed on pregnant women in urban and rural settlements of Malatya Province.SubjectsUrinary I excretion was measured for 824 pregnant women who were randomly selected using a probability-proportional-to-size sampling methodology.ResultsMedian urinary I concentration (UIC) of pregnant women was 77·4 μg/l. The percentage of pregnant women with UIC below 100 μg/l was 83·3.ConclusionThese results indicate that I deficiency disorders (IDD) is still a problem in Malatya Province and most certainly in other parts of the country. Proper monitoring of I content of the salt sold or used in the area, in order to strengthen the IDD intervention programme, is suggested.

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