Approximately fifty press reports were published in different journals and magazines reaching a total of 21,229,000 readers. Magazines were selected according to certain criteria in order to reach the target groups of iodine prophylaxis, i.e. parents of young children, pregnant women and nursing mothers. A major part of these magazines were therefore women's magazines, magazines giving advice on how to raise children and booklets for pregnant mothers. Since 1992, there has been a marked improvement in the status of iodine nutrition in many European countries. In schoolchildren in the Netherlands, Slovakia and France, results were entirely normal.
Improvement is probably due to implementation of salt iodization and improved diet.
But in spite of improvement, there is room for much more. We look forward to that report. Dr. Ulrike Hostalek, Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.