Taiwan was an iodine deficiency area and endemic goiter was common in 1940's. Mandatory salt iodization started in 1967, and a 1971 survey indicated that goiter rates in children decreased from 21.6% to 4.3%. To understand iodine status before the change of national salt iodization program in 2003, from mandatory to voluntary salt iodization, we retrospectively measured urinary iodine concentrations of samples collected from children in the Nutrition and Health Survey in Taiwan 2001-2002. The median UI level for children aged 6-12 years was 123 μg/L (no differences between males and females). Females aged 10-12 years had the lowest urinary iodine levels. The percentages of this population with urinary iodine levels below 100, 50, and 20 μg/L were 35.2% ± 1.0%, 4.4% ± 0.4%, and 0.2% ± 0.1%, respectively. Older children were more likely to have low urinary iodine levels. People living in different areas of Taiwan had a median urinary iodine levels ranged from 113 μg/L to 164 μg/L (males: 113-153 μg/L; females: 105-174 μg/L), with the highest level in Penghu islands, and the lowest level in the eastern and southern (Southern area 2) areas. According to international criteria, iodine status in 2001-2002 was adequate, comparable to the surveyed goiter rates (4.3%, classified as iodine sufficiency) in 1971, inferring that iodine nutrition remained adequate and stable during this period. The present study is of great importance in documenting the iodine status of Taiwan before the change from mandatory to voluntary salt iodization to serve as a baseline data for future trend analysis in iodine nutrition.
過去台灣是屬於缺碘地區，地方性甲狀腺腫在1940 年代時十分流行。台灣自 1967 年開始實施強制性食鹽加碘以來，學童的甲狀腺腫大率由當時的21.6%降 至1971 年的4.3%。為瞭解國家食鹽加碘政策，在2003 年從強制改為自願加 碘前的碘營養狀況，我們回顧性檢測2001-2002 台灣學童營養健康調查所收集 尿液標本的碘濃度。發現6-12 歲學童的尿碘中位數是123 微克/升(男女沒有差 異)，當中以10-12 歲女生的尿碘濃度最低。學童尿碘濃度低於100、50 和20 微克/升的人口百分比分別是35.2% ± 1.0%、4.4% ± 0.4%和0.2% ± 0.1%，年紀 較大的學童尿碘濃度較容易偏低。台灣各地區層的學童尿碘中位數介於113 微 克/升至164 微克/升之間 (男生113 - 153 微克/升；女生105 - 174 微克/升)，當 中最高是澎湖，最低是東部層和南二層。根據國際標準，台灣在2001-2002 年 時的碘營養狀況是足夠的，相較於1971 年時的甲狀腺腫大率4.3% (定義為碘 足夠)，並無多大差別，推測這段期間台灣的碘營養維持正常和穩定。本研究 記錄台灣食鹽加碘政策從強制改為自願加碘前的碘營養狀況，提供日後碘營養 變化、趨勢分析和比較極為重要的基礎數據。