The awareness of Russians about iodine deficiency diseases and methods of it’s prevention

Abstract

Background. The average consumption of iodine by a resident of Russia is 3 times smaller than the established norm. Insufficient iodine intake poses a serious threat to the health of 100 million Russians, including the threat of impaired physical and mental development of 32.8 million children, living in the Russian Federation. The current situation requires a systematic iodine prophylaxis. Aims: to assess the awareness of Russians about the iodine deficiency diseases, their effects and prevention measures, as well as the formation of citizen’s conscious of the necessity for a balanced use of iodized salt and foods, rich in iodine. Methods. A survey of Russians of different age categories in the nationwide campaign for prevention of iodine deficiency disorders and the counting of the results. Results. In the survey participated 34968 Russians. 54.4% of respondents consumed iodized salt. Public awareness of iodine deficiency diseases in average is about 62.6%. 66.4% of Russian respondents supported the law on universal salt iodization at the production facilities in Russia were made by 66.4% of Russians. Conclusions. Based on the evaluation of the obtained data, even among persons, well-informed on the issue of iodine deficiency disorders, not all understand the importance of using iodized salt and the impact of this factor on the overall incidence. With the aim of preventing the spread of iodine deficiency and reduce the risk of its severe consequences in Russia is necessary to organize a system of mass prevention and improving health literacy of the population on this issue.