Nicola M. Lowe|Elizabeth Westaway|Muhammad Akhtar|Saba Tahir|Fiona Dykes|Monique Lhussier|Mick McKeown|Michael Zimmerman|Maria Andersson|Sara Stinca|Mukhtiar Zaman
Increasing Awareness and Use of Iodised Salt in a Marginalised Community Setting in North-West Pakistan
University of Central Lancashire|University of Central Lancashire|University of Central Lancashire|Northumbria University|University of Central Lancashire|ETH Zurich|ETH Zurich|ETH Zurich|Khyber Medical University|Khyber Teaching Hospital
iodine deficiency still prevalent parts pakistan despite introduction national iodine deficiency disorder control programme 1994 purpose study gain understanding knowledge attitudes practice regarding use iodised salt brick kiln community use information design intervention increase consumption crosssectional survey used assess use iodised salt focus group discussions explored attitudes barriers use thematically analysed transcripts informed design 4month intervention iodised salt sales urine iodine concentration uic monitored assess effectiveness intervention baseline 26 households reported use iodised salt barriers included higher cost belief negative impact reproduction intervention sales salt labelled iodised increased 45 however reflected increase uic study highlighted positive impact education awareness raising iodised salt consumption hard reach marginalised community however issues regarding adequate iodisation local producers appropriate storage also need urgently addressed provincial level