Abstract
Few data on iodine status in Somalia are available, but it is assumed that deficiency is a public health problem due to the
limited access to iodized salt. We aimed to describe the iodine status of the population of Somalia and to investigate
possible determinants of iodine status. A national 2-stage, stratified household cluster survey was conducted in 2009 in
the Northwest, Northeast, and South Central Zones of Somalia. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC) was determined in
samples from women (aged 15–45 y) and children (aged 6–11 y), and examination for visible goiter was performed in the
Northwest and South Central strata