Publications

Iodine is an essential component of thyroid hormones; required for normal cognitive function and metabolismthroughout life. During pregnancy, maternal iodine and thyroid hormones are required for fetal neurogenesis,including axon and dendrite growth, synapse formation, myelination and neuronal migration. This paper measuredthe extent to which women and health practitioners were knowledgeable about the importance of iodine. Findingsindicate that midwives’ knowledge of iodine and its role in healthy pregnancies is poor according to the limitedstudies. This is further reflected by poor knowledge in women of childbearing age, even in those who have receiveddietary advice as part of routine antenatal care. Globally, there was poor knowledge of iodine among healthpractitioners; however the effects of this may be mitigated by the implementation of fortification andsupplementation.