A goitre prevalence survey in a hill district measures urinary iodine in a stratified sample of schoolchildren. The median urinary iodine concentration is 38 microgram/L. According to WHO criteria for population iodine nutrition, this represents:

• A Mild iodine deficiency
• B Adequate iodine intake
• C Severe iodine deficiency
• D Moderate iodine deficiency ✓

Explanation

WHO classifies population iodine status by median urinary iodine: adequate is 100 to 199 microgram/L, mild deficiency is 50 to 99, moderate deficiency is 20 to 49, and severe deficiency is below 20 microgram/L. A median of 38 microgram/L falls in the moderate deficiency band. Adequate status requires a median of at least 100 microgram/L, which rules out option B despite any individual values that may exceed the threshold.

Reference: WHO/UNICEF/ICCIDD Assessment of Iodine Deficiency Disorders and Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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