Iodine deficiency among Italian children and adolescents assessed through 24-hour urinary iodine excretion.

Background: Iodine is an essential micronutrient for intellectual development in children. Information on iodine intakes based on 24-h urinary iodine excretion (UIE) is scant, because iodine status is only assessed by the measurement of urinary iodine concentration (UIC) in spot urine samples.

Objectives: The aim of our study was to evaluate the iodine intake of school-age children and adolescents, using UIE measurement in 24-h urine collections.

High sodium and low potassium intake among Italian children: relationship with age, body mass and blood pressure.

Background: Hypertension is the leading cause of death in developed countries and reduction of salt intake is recommended as a key preventive measure.

Objective: To assess the dietary sodium and potassium intakes in a national sample of Italian children and adolescents and to examine their relationships with BMI and blood pressure (BP) in the framework of the MINISAL survey, a program supported by the Italian Ministry of Health.

Population And Methods: The study population included 1424 healthy subjects (766 boys, 658 girls) aged 6-18 years (mean age: 10.