Iodized salt consumption in Sudan: present status and future directions

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Nutrition Science
• Iodine Deficiency Disorders

Background:

• Sudan's Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD) Control Programme adopted salt iodization in 1994.
• In 2000, less than 1% of households used adequately-iodized salt, indicating low coverage.
• Universal Salt Iodization (USI) is a key strategy for IDD prevention.

Purpose of the Study:

• Assess the coverage and geographical variations in access to and use of iodized salt in Sudan.
• Identify factors influencing the utilization of iodized salt.
• Develop recommendations for effective USI strategy implementation in Sudan.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Sudan Household Health Survey (SHHS) dataset.
• Surveyed 24,507 households and tested 18,786 cooking salt samples for iodine levels.
• Employed rapid salt-testing kits for iodine analysis.

Main Results:

• National household use of adequately-iodized salt increased to 14.4% from less than 1% in 2000.
• Significant geographical disparities observed, with access ranging from 96.9% to 0.4%.
• Population coverage with iodized salt remains critically low across Sudan.

Conclusions:

• Weak awareness and political support hinder the Universal Salt Iodization (USI) program in Sudan.
• Lack of national legislation mandating iodized salt impedes progress.
• Leveraging existing laws, such as the National Standardization and Metrology Law (2008), can accelerate USI implementation.