Abstract:
Background: Iodine is an essential trace element for thyroid hormone production, which results
in iodine deficiency when our body couldn't get the required amount of iodine. Iodine deficiency
problems affect people of all ages, especially pregnant women, young women, and children.
Good practice of iodized salt includes its proper storage and correct utilization. Out of people
those who uses iodine salt, the storage method and habits of utilization are ineffective.
Objective: To assess the practice of iodized salt use and associated factors among households in
Ambo town, west Shoa, Oromia, Ethiopia, 2022
Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Ambo town, Oromia,
Ethiopia from February to April 2022. Data were collected from 503 samples of households in
Ambo Town by trained data collectors using structured questionnaires. The data were collected
using a questionnaire and iodine salt rapid test investigation; data were entered to EPI-DATA
version 4.6 statistical packages and then were transferred to SPSS version 25 for analysis. The
association between dependent and independent variables was assessed by using binary logistic
regression. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was reported as a measure of
the strength of associations. A P-value of 0.05 was used to declare statistical significance.
Result: Result: A total of 503 households took part in the study, resulting in a response rate of
98.2%. Of the households that used iodized salt with good practice was 270(53.7%). Marital
status [AOR = 2.05, 95%CI = (1.39, 3.00)] and knowledge of iodized salt [AOR = 2.10, % CI =
(1.03, 3.124)] were both shown to be significantly associated with practice of iodized salt usage
at home. The period of salt storage (less than two months), education, and occupation were also
statistically associated with the practice of iodized salt.
Conclusion and recommendation: In the research area, the proportion of households with good
practices of iodized salt use was low. The educational level, marital status, occupation, and
knowledge of the respondents were significantly associated with the practices of iodized salt
utilization. So it is critical to improve the practice of iodized salt utilization at the household
level by monitoring iodized salt at the household level and making awareness creation through
education promotion via various communication techniques.
