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A multi-centre pilot study of iodine status in UK schoolchildren, aged 8-10 years

Sarah C Bath1, Emilie Combet2, Patrick Scully1

  • 1Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK.

European Journal of Nutrition
|August 16, 2015
PubMed

Insights

UK schoolchildren aged 8-10 years show sufficient iodine levels, indicating iodine deficiency is unlikely in this group. Milk intake appears positively associated with better iodine status in children.

Area of Science:

  • Nutritional science
  • Pediatric health
  • Public health

Background:

  • Iodine is crucial for thyroid hormone synthesis and brain development.
  • Low iodine status is a concern in specific UK populations, including teenage girls, women of childbearing age, and pregnant women.
  • There is a lack of data on iodine status in UK children under 14 years.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the iodine status of UK schoolchildren aged 8-10 years.
  • To address the data gap regarding iodine levels in younger children in the UK.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 168 schoolchildren aged 8-10 years from three UK locations.
  • Collection of spot urine samples during winter and summer months for urinary iodine concentration (UIC) measurement.
  • Utilisation of a food frequency questionnaire to assess dietary intake.

Main Results:

  • The median UIC for the entire group was 144 µg/L, classifying the children as iodine-sufficient according to WHO criteria (100-199 µg/L).
  • Winter median UIC was 161 µg/L and summer median UIC was 127 µg/L, with both indicating sufficiency.
  • Milk consumption showed a positive association with iodine status.

Conclusions:

  • The pilot study suggests that iodine deficiency is not a significant issue for UK children aged 8-10 years.
  • Higher milk intake in this age group, a primary iodine source in the UK, may contribute to sufficient iodine status.
  • Further research on a representative sample of UK schoolchildren is recommended to confirm these findings.
Abstract

Keywords:
ChildrenDietIodineUK

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