Interaction of two public health problems in Turkish schoolchildren: nutritional deficiencies and goitre

[摘要] ObjectiveThe aim of the present study was to determine the interaction of and association between frequency of goitre detected by palpation, nutritional status evaluated by anthropometric indices and socio-economic status in school-aged children.SubjectsOne thousand and eighteen prepubertal and pubertal children (aged 6–14 years) attending primary schools in an urban area were included in this study.Design and settingAll subjects were evaluated for the presence of goitre and nutritional status. Thyroid size was assessed using the World Health Organization's (WHO) palpation system (1960). Severity of protein–energy malnutrition (PEM) was based on WHO criteria. Children were grouped into four categories of socio-economic status.ResultsEight per cent of children were detected to have goitre by palpation. Body mass index and weight-for-height were significantly lower in children who had palpable goitre than in children who did not have goitre (P 0.05). In logistic regression analyses, the most important factor in detection of palpable goitre was socio-economic status (B = 0.517, P = 0.004). Fathers' education and occupation were found to be most significant (P = 0.031 and 0.020, respectively).ConclusionChildren detected to have palpable goitre were thinner. However, nutritional disorders were not more frequent among children with palpable goitre compared with children without goitre. Goitre and nutritional deficiencies were more common in children with lower socio-economic status but the frequency of nutritional disorders in children with palpable goitre did not change according to socio-economic status.

[学科分类] 卫生学

[关键词] Goitre;Children;Nutrition;Socio-economic status