Taking a history: the learnings that national health science forgot

This paper provides evidence for the importance of taking an effective history and considering regional differences before formulating national health policies.

Qualitative study; the data collection technique included manual searches of rare book collections, a search of the Victorian Public Record Office and Australian Archives files and a local media appeal for information about iodine and iodine supplementation in Gippsland and other regions of Australia.

Regional Victoria and Australia as a whole.

A total of 17 community members from the Gippsland region provided information on taking iodine tablets between the late 1940s and the late 1960s.

Information from the community members who took iodine tablets, archival material, published papers in journals on iodine deficiency disorder in Gippsland, government reports and meeting minutes regarding distribution of iodine supplementation in Gippsland.

Taking an effective history is vital to planning national health interventions. It might not be adequate to just search electronic databases. A thorough search of archival and hard copy material and consultation with members of the population can help find key historical data that can inform better health policy action.

There is strong historical evidence of dietary iodine deficiency in the Gippsland region and in a number of other regions across Australia. Government and health authorities should undertake regular iodine status monitoring in these regions. Considering regional difference is important when making national health policy.