eMJA: Are Australian children iodine deficient? Results of the Australian National Iodine Nutrition Study

Correction

Are Australian children iodine deficient? Results of the Australian National Iodine Nutrition Study

Mu Li, Creswell J Eastman, Kay V Waite, Gary Ma, Margaret R Zacharin, Duncan J Topliss, Philip E Harding, John P Walsh, Lynley C Ward, Robin H Mortimer, Emily J Mackenzie, Karen Byth and Zelda Doyle

MJA 2008; 188 (11): 674

Correction

Re: “Are Australian children iodine deficient? Results of the Australian National Iodine Nutrition Study”, by Mu Li, Creswell J Eastman, Kay V Waite, Gary Ma, Margaret R Zacharin, Duncan J Topliss, Philip E Harding, John P Walsh, Lynley C Ward, Robin H Mortimer, Emily J Mackenzie, Karen Byth and Zelda Doyle, in the 20 February 2006 issue of the Journal (Med J Aust 2006; 184: 165-169).

The article as originally published did not include unbiased estimates across all mainland states for the statistics presented in Box 1 and Box 4. This omission is corrected in the tables presented here. All data in these tables are the same as in the original article, but an extra row showing estimates for mainland states has been added. The “Total” row refers to the study sample only.

The unbiased estimate of the national median urinary iodine excretion (UIE) in the results section of the abstract should read 96 μg/L, not 104 μg/L, showing that children in mainland Australia are mildly iodine deficient according to World Health Organization criteria (mild iodine deficiency, UIE 50–99 μg/L).

1 Summary data on participating schoolchildren by state together with weighted estimates across all mainland states

State

Students participated/ students targeted

M:F ratio

Mean (SD) age (years)

Mean (SD) weight (kg)

Mean (SD) height (cm)

Mean (SD) body surface area (m2)

Median urinary iodine excretion (μg/L) (interquartile range)

NSW

427/400 (106%)

1:1

9.3 ± 0.6

34.9 ± 8.5

138.5 ± 6.7

1.16 ± 0.15

89.0 (65.0–123.5)

VIC

348/400 (87%)

1:0.8

9.7 ± 0.5

38.2 ± 8.9

141.0 ± 6.8

1.22 ± 0.15

73.5 (53.0–104.3)

317/400 (79%)

1:0.9

9.0 ± 0.5

35.3 ± 7.9

137.3 ± 7.3

1.16 ± 0.15

101.0 (74.0–130.0)

323/400 (80%)

1:0.8

8.9 ± 0.6

32.8 ± 7.6

136.9 ± 6.4

1.11 ± 0.14

142.5 (103.5–214.0)

QLD

294/400 (73%)

1:1.3

9.1 ± 0.4

32.9 ± 7.2

137.3 ± 6.3

1.12 ± 0.13

136.5 (104.3–183.8)

Total for sample

1709/2000 (85%)

1:0.9

9.2 ± 0.6

34.9 ± 8.3

138.3 ± 6.9

1.20 ± 0.10

104.0 (71.0–147.0)

Estimates for mainland states*

1:1

9.3 ± 0.6

35.2 ± 8.5

138.7 ± 6.8

1.16 ± 0.15

96.0 (66.0–135.0)

M:F = male to female. * Formed by weighting the sample data from each state according to the distribution of all Year-4 schoolchildren by mainland states.

4 Percentage of children with a thyroid volume (mL) greater than the new international standard 50th and 97th percentile values (P50 and P97)

Based on body surface area (% [95%CI])

Based on age (% [95%CI])

State

Boys

Girls

Total

Boys

Girls

Total

Percentage > international standard P50

NSW

58.1 (51.3–64.9)

57.6 (50.9–64.3)

57.9 (53.1–62.7)

61.3 (54.6–68.0)

63.8 (57.3–70.3)

62.6 (57.9–67.3)

VIC

18.0 (12.6–23.4)

18.3 (12.2–24.4)

18.2 (14.1–22.3)

24.9 (18.8–31.0)

26.1 (19.1–33.1)

25.4 (20.8–30.0)

41.0 (33.5–48.5)

46.3 (38.3–54.4)

43.5 (38.0–49.0)

50.9 (43.3–58.5)

54.4 (46.4–62.4)

52.5 (47.0–58.0)

70.0 (63.1–76.9)

71.6 (64.3–78.9)

70.8 (65.8–75.8)

75.3 (68.8–81.8)

81.1 (74.8–87.4)

78.0 (73.4–82.6)

QLD

55.0 (46.4–63.6)

50.0 (42.3–57.7)

52.2 (46.4–58.0)

61.5 (53.1–69.9)

60.6 (53.0–68.2)

61.0 (55.4–66.6)

Estimates for mainland states*

47.1 (43.3–50.9)

46.2 (42.5–49.9)

46.6 (44.0–49.2)

52.5 (48.8–56.3)

54.1 (50.4–57.8)

53.3 (50.7–55.9)

Percentage > international standard P97

NSW

3.9 (1.2–6.6)

7.1 (3.6–10.6)

5.6 (3.4–7.8)

6.4 (3.0–9.8)

10.0 (5.9–14.1)

8.2 (5.6- 10.8)

VIC

0.7 (0–2.0)

0.3 (0–0.9)

4.8 (1.5–8.1)

10.1 (5.3–14.9)

7.3 (4.4–10.2)

6.6 (2.8–10.4)

10.7 (5.7–15.7)

8.5 (5.4–11.6)

11.2 (6.5–15.9)

14.9 (9.2–20.6)

12.9 (9.2–16.6)

11.8 (7.0–16.6)

19.6 (13.2–26.0)

15.4 (11.4–19.4)

QLD

2.3 (0–4.9)

3.1 (0.4–5.8)

2.8 (0.9–4.7)

3.1 (0.1–6.1)

5.6 (2.0- 9.2)

4.5 (2.1–6.9)

Estimates for mainland states*

2.9 (1.7–4.2)

5.0 (3.3–6.6)

4.0 (3.0–5.0)

4.3 (2.7–5.9)

7.2 (5.2–9.1)

5.7 (4.5–7.0)

* Formed by weighting the sample data from each state according to the distribution of all Year-4 schoolchildren by mainland states.

(Received 11 Sep 2007, accepted 3 Jan 2008)