In January/February 2007 a cross-sectional survey was conducted in the Saharawi refugee camps. The main objective of this survey was to identify the causes of goitre through assessing the iodine status, identifying sources of iodine and assessing the dietary intake. Totally 421 children (6-14 years) and 405 women (5 – 45 years) were randomly selected from 96 households. The prevalence of goitre was estimated by palpation, ultrasound was used to determine thyroid volume (Tvol) and a casual urine sample was collected from each participant to analyse urinary iodine. In addition anthropometric measurements (weight and height) were preformed and a pre-coded questionnaire for background information and food intake was collected. A HemoCue B-Haemoglobin analyser was used to measure the level of haemoglobi
