Iodine deficiency in pregnant women in the ACT

Abstract

In response to growing concern of an iodine deficiency emergence in Australia, this study was conducted to document the iodine status of pregnant women in the ACT. One hundred women presenting to the antenatal clinic at The Canberra Hospital answered a brief dietary questionnaire and provided a spot urine sample for the measurement of urine iodine excretion. The results revealed that the majority of women were consuming a diet low in iodine, confirmed by suboptimal concentrations of iodine in their urine.