Çaylan, N.Yilmaz, G.2024-09-292024-09-292019978-331955387-0978-331955386-3https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14619/10132Iodine is an essential micronutrient for normal growth and development and essential component of the thyroid hormones synthesized in the thyroid gland. Iodine deficiency (ID) is one of the most common nutritional disorders. The global efforts to control ID have been very successful, largely because of universal salt iodization (USI) programs and the number of countries where ID is a public health problem has decreased over the last two decades. Initial assessment and regular monitoring of the iodine status of a population is crucial to develop optimum public health policies and to monitor the outcomes of ID control programs. For this purpose, it has been recommended that the iodine status of a population should be assessed every 3-5 years in surveys that use valid and well-described methods. Generally, four major methods are recommended for the assessment of a population's iodine status: urinary iodine concentration (UIC), total goiter rate (TGR) (assessed by palpation or ultrasound), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels in neonates, and serum or dried blood spot (DBS) thyroglobulin (Tg). Currently, the median UIC in spot urine specimens from a representative sample is the most common measure used to assess a population's iodine status. In conclusion, UIC is the universal, well-validated, readily applicable, cost-effective indicator of population iodine status. © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessIndicatorIodineIodine deficiencyIodine deficiency disordersIodine statusMonitoringScreeningThyroglobulinThyroid- stimulating hormoneTotal goiter rateUniversal salt iodizationUrinary iodine concentrationBook Part2-s2.0-850781130811828N/A1809