Overview

The proposed guideline aims to help Member States and their partners in their efforts to make informed decisions on the appropriate nutrition actions to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), in particular, reduction of child mortality (MDG 4) and improvement of maternal health (MDG 5). It will also support Member States in their efforts to achieve global targets on the Comprehensive implementation plan on maternal, infant and young child nutrition and in the Global action plan for the prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases 2013–2020, as approved in resolution WHA66.10 in 2013, including the voluntary global targets on salt reduction.

This guideline is intended for a wide audience, including policy-makers; their expert advisers; and technical and programme staff at organizations involved in the design, implementation and scaling-up of salt-iodization programmes, and in nutrition actions for public health. Engagement and commitment of the private sector can benefit fortification efforts and the implementation process.

Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Financial support
• Executive summary
• Scope and purpose
• Background
  • Universal salt iodization
• Summary of evidence
• Recommendation
• Remarks
• Implications for future research
• Dissemination, adaptation and implementation
  • Dissemination
  • Adaptation and implementation
  • Monitoring and evaluation of guideline implementation
• Guideline development process
  • Advisory groups
  • Scope of the guideline, evidence appraisal and decision-making
• Management of competing interests
• Plans for updating the guideline
• References
• Annex 1 GRADE “Summary of findings” tables
• Annex 2 Summary of the considerations of the members of the guideline development group – nutrition actions for determining the strength of the recommendation
• Annex 3 WHO Steering Committee for Nutrition Guidelines Development
• Annex 4 WHO guideline development group – nutrition actions 2013–2014, WHO Secretariat and external resource experts
• Annex 5 Peer-reviewers
• Annex 6 Questions in population, intervention, control, outcomes (PICO) format

Suggested citation:

WHO. Guideline: fortification of food-grade salt with iodine for the prevention and control of iodine deficiency disorders. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2014.

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