Iodised salt progress in Eastern Mediterranean countries
What it found
Many countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region have made major progress in getting more adequately iodised salt into people's diets, and several have reached or are close to eliminating iodine deficiency disorders.
The paper is a narrative review of national iodine status and salt iodisation programmes.
What they found
Studies in people
Countries reaching elimination
Many countries including Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman and Iran have achieved, or are now on the threshold of achieving, elimination of iodine deficiency disorders.
Other findings
Salt iodisation scaled up
Salt iodisation in the Eastern Mediterranean Region has been scaled up, with significant progress in increasing the share of dietary salt that is adequately iodised.
Monitoring iodine status
Efficient monitoring will help member states measure how big a public health problem iodine deficiency disorders are and track the effects of the intervention on the iodine status of a population.
Policy and coordination
Policy makers should take proactive steps to enforce mandatory regulatory measures for universal salt iodisation, through multi-sectoral coordination and careful assessments and estimates of iodine nutritional status.
Salt reduction and iodisation
Coordination between the two national programmes of universal salt iodisation and salt reduction intake is necessary.
What the authors conclude
“Policy makers should take proactive steps to enforce mandatory regulatory measures for USI, through a multi-sectoral coordination, and careful assessments and estimates of iodine nutritional status.”
Also in their conclusions
- They recommend operational action to support implementation of the WHO Regional Nutrition Strategy (2020-2030).
- They say policy makers should take proactive steps to enforce mandatory regulatory measures for universal salt iodisation, through multi-sectoral coordination and careful assessments and estimates of iodine nutritional status.
- They state that coordination between the two national programmes of universal salt iodisation and salt reduction intake is necessary.
How it was done
Iodine deficiency is described as the single most important preventable cause of brain damage, and the World Health Organization urged all countries to scale up salt iodisation from 1991. The authors wanted to assess how countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region are progressing toward eliminating iodine deficiency disorders and to recommend practical actions.
The authors reviewed national iodine status reports from countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, focusing on school-aged children aged 6 to 12 years, which countries committed to report every 3 years. They evaluated progress toward eliminating iodine deficiency disorders and considered how this fits with the WHO Regional Nutrition Strategy for 2020 to 2030.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This is a narrative review of national reports and programmes, so it cannot prove that salt iodisation alone caused any particular change in iodine status.
- It does not provide new measurements from people or lab studies, so it cannot show how much iodised salt any individual needs.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- The Pennsylvania State University, USA; The American University of Madaba, Jordan; University of Vienna, Austria
The paper
- Title
- Trend of Iodine Status in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and Impact of the Universal Salt Iodization Programs: a Narrative Review
- Type
- ReviewThe authors read earlier studies and describe what they found. It isn’t a new study.
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Doggui R, Al-Jawaldeh H, Al-Jawaldeh A (2020). Trend of Iodine Status in the Eastern Mediterranean Region and Impact of the Universal Salt Iodization Programs: a Narrative Review. Biological trace element research. doi:10.1007/s12011-020-02083-1PubMed 32221799DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error