Prevalence of goiter among children in Ethiopia and associated factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Getenet Dessie; Desalegne Amare; Amare Belachew Dagnew; Henok Mulugeta; Dessalegn Haile Kassa; Ayenew Negesse; Getachew Mullu Kassa; Fasil Wagnew; Sheikh Mohammed Shariful Islam; Sahai Burrowes

doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7505-7

Prevalence of goiter among children in Ethiopia and associated factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BMC Public Health. 2019 Aug 29;19(1):1191. doi: 10.1186/s12889-019-7505-7.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nursing, School of Health Science, College of Medicine and Health Science, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia. ayalew.d16@gmail.com.
² Department of Nursing, School of Health Science, College of Medicine and Health Science, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
³ Department of Nursing, College of Health Science, Debre Markos University, P.O. Box 269, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
⁴ Department of Human Nutrition and Food Science, College of Health Science, Debre Markos University, P.O. Box 269, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
⁵ College of Health Sciences, Debre Markos University, P.O. Box 269, Debre Markos, Ethiopia.
⁶ Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.
⁷ , Burwood, Australia.
⁸ Public Health Program, College of Education and Health Sciences, Touro University California, 1310 Club Drive, Mare Island, Vallejo, CA, 94592, USA.

Abstract

Background: The distribution of goiter among children and its risk factors are not well investigated in Ethiopia. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to determine the pooled prevalence of goiter and its associated factors among children in Ethiopia.

Methods: Electronic web-based searches of PubMed, Google Scholar, EMBASE, and the World Health Organization's Hinari portal (which includes the SCOPUS, African Index Medicus, and African Journals Online databases) were conducted to find primary studies. Relevant data were extracted and descriptive summaries of the studies were presented in tables. The I² statistic was used to assess heterogeneity across studies. Funnel plot asymmetry and Egger's tests were used to check for publication bias. A random effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of goiter. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% Confidence Intervals (CI) were also used to determine the association of identified variables with goiter. All statistical analyses were conducted using Stata version 14 software.

Results: Our search identified 982 studies, of which, 19 articles were eligible for inclusion in the final meta-analysis. The pooled estimate of goiter among children in Ethiopia was 40.50% (95% CI: 33.6-47.40). The regional distribution of goiter ranged from 44.22 (95% CI: 17.44-71) in Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples' Region, to 32.79% (95% CI: 19.86-45.73) in Benishangul Gumez region. The prevalence of goiter among female children (44.34%) was higher than among male (32.88%) children. Goiter prevalence was also significantly higher among children who consumed vegetables three or more times per week OR = 1.3 (95% CI: 1.02-1.66); those who had family history of goiter, OR = 2.38 (95% CI: 1.9-2.99); and those whose family stored salt near to fires, OR = 1.4 l (95% CI: 1.1-1.79).

Conclusion: The prevalence of goiter among children in Ethiopia was high, and endemic according to the WHO criteria. Our findings suggest the need for interventions to improve salt iodization, and for improved health education on appropriate salt storage. In addition, more research may be needed to improve our understanding of foods that increase the risk of goiter among children.

Keywords: Children; Ethiopia; Goiter; Meta-analysis.

Publication types

Meta-Analysis
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Child
Ethiopia / epidemiology
Goiter / epidemiology*
Humans
Prevalence
Risk Factors