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BackgroundIodine deficiency (ID) has become a concern not only among pregnant women, but in women of childbearing age as well. In fact, a recent report suggested that women with moderate to severe ID may experience a significantly longer time to conceive. This study aimed to investigate iodine status in Filipino women of childbearing age.MethodsThe iodine status of 6,194 Filipino women aged 15 to 45 years old was assessed through urinary iodine analysis. A casual spot urine sample was collected from women in households participating in the eighth National Nutrition Survey conducted by the Food and Nutrition Research Institute. The sample was analyzed using ammonium persulfate digestion followed by the Sandell-Kolthoff colorimetric reaction. A median urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of less than 100 µg/L was used to define ID.ResultsThe median UIC was 123 µg/L, indicative of adequate iodine nutrition; however, 21.5% of participants had a UIC below 50 µg/L. The median UIC of women who lived in urban areas (142 µg/L), belonged to the middle to richest class (>124 µg/L), had reached a college education (136 µg/L), and used iodized salt (15 ppm and above; 148 to 179 µg/L) reflected adequate iodine nutrition. ID was found to have been eliminated in the regions of Central Luzon, Eastern Visayas, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, and the National Capital, while mild ID was identified in Western Visayas, Southern and Western Mindanao, and in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.ConclusionPockets of ID among women of childbearing age exist in the Philippines. Proper information through education and the use of adequately iodized salt are key measures for improving the iodine status of the studied population.

Background: Iodine deficiency disorder (IDD) is still a public health problem globally. In response to this, universal salt iodization (USI) has been implemented. This is the most cost-effective strategy to prevent and control it. In the Philippines, an Act for Salt Iodization Nationwide (ASIN Law) was passed in 1995, in response to the increasing goiter rates. This paper describes the prevalence and severity of IDD among Filipino school-aged children (SAC), pregnant and lactating women and the elderly, 20 years after the implementation of the ASIN Law.Methods: Casual urine samples were collected from SAC, pregnant and lactating women and elderly of 1998, 2003, 2008 and 2013, of selected households of the National Nutrition Survey (NNS). Urinary iodine (UI) levels were determined using the acid digestion method. UI levels and prevalence of IDD in the 2013 NNS were compared with those in previous NNSs. Conclusion: Twenty years after ASIN Law, Filipino SAC have achieved optimum iodine status while the pregnant and lactating women and the elderly remain to be iodine deficient. Strict monitoring of iodization of salt at the production site should be implemented, since iodine levels in salt have remained at levels below the standard. Results

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