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The study revealed inadequate consumption of iodized salt among Saudi households and explored marked regional heterogeneity. The majority of iodized salt samples contained iodine concentration more than the recommended level. These findings imply the need to launch a public awareness campaign on use of iodized salt. Legislation to ban production and sale of non-iodized salt sale for human consumption might be considered. A well-functioning monitoring system at factory level and surveillance system are crucially needed to ensure proper salt iodization and intake.

This survey revealed high self-reported compliance with SP guidelines. Institutional factors appear to have an important role. Attention should be paid to dental assistants and private DHCWs.

Background. The WHO recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life to achieve optimal growth, development, and health. Nonadherence to exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) depends largely on the individual, sociocultural context, and institutional factors. The aim of this study is to estimate coverage and factors associated with adherence to EBF among mothers in the urban Hail region, Saudi Arabia. Methods. A cross-sectional study was carried out during February–June 2019 among 450 mothers of children aged 6–24 months attending immunization and well-baby clinics in 6 primary healthcare centers in Hail city. A pretested structured questionnaire was used to interview the consented participants. Results. The majority of mothers (72.9%) were aware of EBF; 24% reported initiation of breastfeeding within one hour after delivery; however, 71.1% did during the first 24 hours. The majority (76.8%) fed colostrum to their newborn; nevertheless, 50.1% had given a prelacteal feeding. Mothers who reported EBF practice were 50.7% (CI 45.9–55.4). The adjusted logistic regression analysis revealed that mother’s awareness about EBF (aOR 3.03; 95% CI 1.78–5.18), antenatal care received at the governmental facility (aOR 2.63; 95% CI 1.28–5.41), breastfeeding a previous child (aOR 2.42; 95% CI 1.46–4.03), counseling received after delivery (aOR 2.47; 95% CI 1.34–4.53), and colostrum feeding given (aOR 4.24; 95% CI 2.31–7.77) were positively associated with EBF practice. On the other hand, mother’s education (OR 0.39; 95% CI 0.15–0.99), higher family income (aOR 0.04; 95% CI 0.00–0.31), and practice prelacteal feeding (aOR 0.61; 95% CI 0.38–0.97) were negatively associated with EBF practice. Conclusion. EBF rate in urban Hail is still far below WHO recommendations. Efforts to strengthen mothers’ counseling/support during antenatal care and immediately after delivery are needed to promote EBF practice, especially in the private sector.

This study aimed at establishing updated data on iodine nutrition among schoolchildren in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional cluster survey among schoolchildren aged 8-10 years was conducted during February-April 2012. Children were clinically examined for goitre, urine and household salt samples were collected to estimate urinary iodine concenteration (UIC) and iodine content in salt. The overall goitre prevalence at the national level among 4 016 children was 4.2%. The prevalence was < 5% in all regions of the country except southern region with a prevalence of 12.7%. The median UIC of 2224 samples was 133 µg/L, with 74.3% of the surveyed children with UIC ≥ 100 µg/L. Analysis of salt samples (n = 4242) revealed that 69.8% of households were consuming adequately iodized salt. The findings suggest iodine sufficiency at the national level, however southern region still has a goitre prevalence of mild degree severity and the proportion of households consuming adequately iodized salt is still below recommendations. ‫باليود‬ ‫للتغذية‬ ‫وطنية‬