Table 4.
Iodine knowledge in young Norwegian women attending health related study programs and other study programs (n = 403) a.
| Iodine Knowledge | Health Sciences b (n = 271) | Other Sciences c (n = 132) | p | All (n = 403) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Do you know what iodine is? | ||||
| No | 111 (41.1) | 46 (34.8) | 0.271 | 157 (39.1) |
| Yes | 159 (58.9) | 86 (65.2) | 245 (60.9) | |
| Most important dietary iodine sources # | ||||
| Meat | 56 (20.9) | 25 (18.9) | 0.754 | 81 (20.1) |
| Milk and milk products * | 128 (47.8) | 67 (50.8) | 0.647 | 195 (48.4) |
| Fruit and vegetables | 21 (7.8) | 22 (16.7) | 0.012 | 43 (10.7) |
| Fish and seafood * | 146 (54.5) | 68 (51.5) | 0.651 | 214 (53.1) |
| Bread | 34 (12.7) | 15 (11.4) | 0.828 | 49 (12.2) |
| Vegetable oil | 5 (1.9) | 2 (1.5) | nd | 7 (1.7) |
| Iodized salt | 37 (51.1) | 62 (47.0) | 0.500 | 199 (49.4) |
| Dietary supplements * | 37 (13.9) | 18 (13.6) | 1.000 | 55 (13.6) |
| Don’t know | 64 (23.9) | 26 (19.7) | 0.415 | 90 (22.3) |
| Iodine is important for: # | ||||
| Child growth and development * | 103 (38.6) | 66 (50.0) | 0.039 | 169 (41.9) |
| Preventing blindness | 11 (4.1) | 2 (1.5) | nd | 13 (3.2) |
| Normal fetal development * | 100 (37.5) | 40 (30.3) | 0.195 | 140 (34.7) |
| Strength in teeth and skeleton | 41 (15.4) | 24 (18.2) | 0.565 | 65 (16.1) |
| Maintaining a normal metabolism * | 117 (43.8) | 54 (40.9) | 0.656 | 171 (42.4) |
| Preventing spina bifida | 11 (4.1) | 3 (2.3) | nd | 14 (3.5) |
| Don’t know | 87 (32.6) | 44 (33.6) | 0.931 | 131 (32.5) |
| Iodine status in Norway # | ||||
| Too low intake is a current problem * | 72 (26.6) | 42 (31.8) | 0.423 | 114 (28.3) |
| Too high intake is a current problem | 12 (4.4) | 3 (2.3) | nd | 15 (3.7) |
| Too low intake was only a problem earlier | 29 (10.7) | 21 (15.9) | 0.224 | 50 (12.4) |
| Don’t know | 149 (55.0) | 66 (50.0) | 0.252 | 215 (53.3) |
| I think I get enough iodine through the diet | ||||
| Agree | 101 (37.7) | 43 (32.6) | 0.373 | 144 (35.7) |
| Disagree | 22 (8.2) | 12 (9.1) | 0.915 | 34 (8.4) |
| Don’t know | 145 (54.1) | 77 (58.3) | 0.488 | 222 (55.1) |
* Correct answer, # Multiple answers possible. 1 missing from “Do you know what iodine is”; 3 missing from “iodine sources”; 4 missing from “functions of iodine”; 8 missing from “iodine status in Norway”; 3 missing from “perception of own iodine intake”; a Values are presented as n (%) for all, and n (%) within study direction for health sciences and other sciences. nd = not determined due to low cell count. b Health sciences include: nutrition, public health nutrition, nursing, public health (nursing), midwifery, social nurse, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, mental healthcare.c Other sciences include: biotechnology, chemistry, environmental sciences, engineering, physics, teaching, psychology, and other (n = 11)/working (n = 8).