Determination of Household Use of Iodated Salt in The Hohoe District in the Volta Region, Ghana

Abstract

In recent years, iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) have emerged as an important public health problem in Ghana. In the Hohoe district the prevalence o f goitre was 26% (Asibey- Berko, et al 1994). Ghana has adopted the continuous use o f iodated salt as a solution to 1DD. This was supported by Act 523, which requires that, any salt meant for human and animal consumption in Ghana should be iodized. After the launching o f a national campaign against IDD at Hohoe in 1997, awareness on the importance o f the use o f iodated salt was created in the district. However, the results o f the 1998 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey (GDHS, 1998) showed that the Volta region had the lowest percentage o f households using iodated salt (10%). The DHMT o f the Hohoe district health administration is worried over the low utilization o f iodated salt in the Volta region and more so because Hohoe is an endemic goitre area in the region. The study therefore was a cross-sectional survey that aimed at establishing the proportion o f people using iodated salt, and factors affecting the use o f iodated salt in the district. It took place in thirty communities. Three hundred women in charge o f household cooking and 50 salt sellers were interviewed using structured questionnaire. The study examined their awareness o f the importance o f iodated salt, its availability, affordability, and utilization in the district. The salt used for household cooking was tested for iodine. T he study rev e a le d th a t the level o f aw a re n e s s o f the im p o rta n c e o f io d a ted sa lt w a s very low in sa lt se lle rs, as 7 0% o f th em h ad low level o f aw a re n e s s . T h o u g h 243 (8 1% ) w om en in ch a rg e o f h o u s e h o ld c o o k in g sa id th e y h a d h e a rd o f io d a ted salt, o n ly 2 0 1 (6 7% ) sa id th e y k n ow the b e n e fits a s so c ia te d w ith th e use o f io d a te d salt. H ow ev er, it is re a lly su rp ris in g to n o te that, o u t o f th e 201 w h o c la im ed th ey k n ow its b en e fit, 8, 66. an d 127 o f the w om en had h igh, m o d e ra te an d low lev e l o f aw a re n e s s a b o u t io d a ted salt, re sp e c tiv e ly . With rega rd to a v a ila b ility o f io d a ted sa lt o n ly 8% o f s a lt se lle rs w e re s e llin g io d a ted salt. A b o u t 5 7% o f w om e n in ch a rg e o f h o u s e h o ld co o k in g sa id io d a te d sa lt w a s a lw a y s av a ilab le w h en th ey w a n te d to b u y it. W ith the q u e s tio n o f a ffo rd a b ility , it w a s fo u n d th a t 3 6 .8% o f th e w om e n in ch a rg e o f h o u se h o ld co o k in g sa id it w a s n o t a ffo rd a b le . T h e io d in e te s t on the salt co n sum ed in the h o u s e h o ld s in d ic a ted h ow e v e r th a t o n ly 16% o f h o u s e h o ld s u se d io d a te d salt. Availability, cost and awareness were the main factors determining the usage o f iodated salt in the district.