Iodized salt benefits children school readiness: preliminary results from a cluster randomized trial in Ethiopia (635.2)

Iodine deficiency is thought to contribute to delayed mental development. The effectiveness of iodized salt programs in reducing this delay has not been studied in children 6 years and under. Using a randomized cluster design, 1835 children 54 to 60 mo old were sampled from 60 villages in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. The iodized salt and control groups were comparable on all baseline variables, including maternal schooling (89.6% had none) and child dietary diversity (mean: 2.2 out of 7 food categories). Once national production of iodized salt began, the project facilitated early delivery to intervention village marketplaces; iodized salt arrived to control village marketplaces approximately 6 months later. The same children (92% of the original sample) were re‐assessed at 69 to 78 mo of age. Intervention group children had a significantly higher score on the 25‐item school readiness test (mean: 8.3 vs 7.8, respectively, p<0.05). No significant differences were found on the two Wechsler tests of reasoning, analyzing raw or standardized scores (0‐19); standardized mean values were very low: Matrix Reasoning (4.0) and Similarities (5.5). In conclusion, along with the exposure to iodized salt, the school readiness skills of 5‐ and 6‐year‐old children benefited possibly because they had exposure to older siblings' literacy and math skills but not to cognitive and verbal reasoning. Grant Funding Source : Supported by Micronutrient Initiative, Canada