Goiter and hypothyroidism among elementary school children in lowland agricultural area, Brebes District Indonesia Kartini Apoina1, Suhartono2,*, Pangestuti Dina R.1, Adi M. Sakundarno3, Suratman4, Rasipin5 1Department of Public Health Nutrition, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia 2Department of Environmental Health, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia 3Department of Epidemiology, Faculty of Public Health, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Indonesia 4Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, Jenderal Soedirman University, Purwokerto, Indonesia 5Brebes District Health Office, Brebes, Indonesia *Corresponding Author: Suhartono Jalan Prof. Soedarto, SH Tembalang, Semarang, 1269, Indonesia, Phone: +62 81 127 5410 Email: suhartono_damas@yahoo.com
Online published on 25 September, 2018. Abstract The most common cause of goiter is the lack of iodine intake and usually occurs in many communities in upland areas. Pesticides are widely used in the agricultural area, and it was probably the cause of goiter. This research is aimed to identify goiter and hypothyroidism among elementary school children in lowland agricultural areas. Cross-sectional study recruited sample of 100 children aged 9–12 years old from three elementary schools in Brebes District, Indonesia. Goiter existence determined by palpation of a trained nutritionist; level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) measured with mini vidas test kits; and Urinary Iodine Concentration (UIC) measured with acid digestion method. Univariate and bivariate data analysis (Chi-square test, risk estimate) were applied. Proportion of goiter and hypothyroidism was 53.0% and 17.4% respectively. Median UIC was 346 μg/dL. Proportion of goiter in the children whose fathers were farmer and non-farmer was 80, 8% and 43, 2% respectively (p=0.002; Prevalence Ratio=1.9; 95% CI=1.3–2.6). The proportion of hypothyroidism in the children whose fathers were farmers (29.4%) tends to be higher than non-farmers (13.5%). However, there was no significance difference proportion of hypothyroidism in both group (p=0.255; Prevalence Ratio=2, 2; 95% CI=0.8–6.0). Top Keywords Goiter, Hypothyroidism, Children, Agricultural Area, Indonesia. Top |