Iodine-rich and goitrogenic food intake among goitrous individuals in different agro-ecological settings in Batangas City, Philippines

Goiter is a benign swelling of thyroid gland resulting from iodine-deficiency. Iodine is a significant nutrient for the production of thyroid hormone necessary for brain development, metabolism, and other body functions. The study intended to determine the goiter prevalence in different agro-ecological settings (AES) in Batangas City; to describe the intake of iodine-rich foods and goitrogenic foods among goitrous individuals in different AES; and to determine the relationship of demographic and socioeconomic variables to the intake of iodine-rich and goitrogenic foods. The 310 respondents were randomly selected from identified goitrous individuals in three AES namely lowland, upland, and coastal areas. Food consumption was obtained through the use of Semi-quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire (SFFQ). Descriptive statistics were computed for all variables to describe the distributions. One-way ANOVA and t-test were used to compare mean intake between groups. Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient was computed to identify the relationship of iodine-rich and goitrogenic food intake to demographic and socio-economic variables. Results revealed that upland area (0.72%) had the highest goiter prevalence, followed by the lowland area (0.66%) while coastal area (0.53%) had the lowest goiter prevalence. There was a significant difference in the mean intake of iodine-rich foods and goitrogenic foods in different AES. The coastal area had the highest mean intake of iodine-rich, while upland area had the lowest mean intake. Moreover, coastal area exhibited the highest intake of goitrogenic foods while lowland area showed the lowest mean intake. In conclusion. goiter prevalence was highest in the upland area that exhibited the lowest mean intake of iodine-rich foods. On the other hand, goiter prevalence was lowest in the coastal area that showed the highest mean intake of iodine-rich foods. Moreover, the intake of iodine-rich and goitrogenic foods in the three AES were related to some demographic and socio-economic variables