Tabo Sa Iodine-Rich Food to Highlight 2019 Gaw Celeb
Highlighting the Goiter Awareness Week (GAW) celebration in Central Visayas is a unique food bazaar dubbed “Tabo sa Iodine-rich Food” that will feature foods rich in iodine abundant in select barangays in the region. The Tabo will be held on Friday, 25 January 2019 between 8:00 – 11:00 A.M at the Lapu-Lapu City Sports Complex, Lapu-lapu City The event aims to raise public awareness on goiter and other iodine deficiencies, a threat still hovering the region.
Goiter is the abnormal enlargement of the thyroid gland commonly caused by the lack of iodine in the diet. The latest Global Iodine Status of school-age children, women of reproductive age and pregnant women in 2017 showed an insufficient iodine intake was observed among pregnant women with a Median UIC of 105 µg/L. Insufficient iodine intake can also lead to birth defect problems such as stillbirths, squint eyes and poor mental development of unborn children. School-aged children though had an adequate iodine intake with a Median UIC of 168 µg/L. A Median UIC of 100 µg/L to 299 µg/L for school-age children and Median UIC of 150 µg/L to 249 µg/L for pregnant women are considered as adequate.
Central Visayas has a Median UIC of 111 µg/L, an indication of insufficiency of iodine consumption based on the 2013 Philippine Facts and Figures of the National Nutrition Survey (NNS).
According to the 2008 NNS, 8.9% of adults examined has goiter. This is higher compared to the results in 1993 survey which was 6.7% and 1987 with 3.7%. The study was done through the Philippine Thyroid Disorder Prevalence Survey (PhilTiDeS), the very first national survey in the Philippines on the prevalence of thyroid disorder based on thyroid function tests.
The GAW celebration on 20-26 January 2019 carries the theme “Goiter sugpuin, isip patalinuhin, iodized salt gamitin”. The celebration is spearheaded by the Regional Bantay Asin Task Force 7 (RBATF 7) and National Nutrition Council Region VII in collaboration with the Lapu-Lapu City Nutrition Committee. [NGS1] [N2] Other activities of the week-long GAW observance include simultaneous nutrition quiz after Monday’s flag ceremony done by LGUs and government agencies on goiter last 21 January 2018, hanging of official GAW streamers, quad-media advocacies, and conduct of salt monitoring of the two (2) major salt producers operating in Central Visayas.
NNC R7 Regional Nutrition Program Coordinator Dr. Parolita A. Mission encourages the public to join the nationwide celebration of Goiter Awareness Week by joining this unique food bazaar on 25 January 2019 in Lapu-lapu City as well as consuming iodine rich foods such as seafoods including shellfish and seaweeds, eggs and other dairy products. Dr. Mission also enjoins the public to look for the Saktong Iodine sa Asin Seal to make sure that the members of the household consume adequate iodized.
