Iodine and pregnancy – a UK cross-sectional survey of dietary intake, knowledge and awareness

Study answer

What this study found

Iodine intake in pregnancy is generally below recommended levels: median dietary intake without supplements is 190 mg/d (IQR 144–256); 74% below 250 mg/d and 55% below 200 mg/d. Main dietary sources are milk (40%), other dairy (31%), and fish (24%). About 38% used iodine-containing supplements; total iodine intake increased with supplementation: first trimester 237 mg/d with supplements vs 190 mg/d without (P<0.001); during 2nd–3rd trimesters 223 mg/d with supplements vs 190 mg/d without (P<0.001). Awareness of iodine-specific recommendations was very low (12%), and confidence in achieving…

Study & population

Cross-sectional survey; 1026 UK-resident women, either pregnant or mother to a child aged 0–36 months; median age 32 (IQR 29–36).

Intervention

Iodine-containing supplements; frequency: daily or some days (every other day); timing: throughout pregnancy or first trimester only; dosage not reported; brands not specified.

Key limitation

Cross-sectional design; reliance on FFQ with recall bias; convenience sampling and online recruitment; sample skewed toward White British, well-educated women; results may not generalize to the broader UK population; deprivation and socioeconomic factors not fully captured.

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Original abstract