Study strengths and limitations
The iodine intake was estimated simultaneously from both the 24-h urinary iodine excretion and a detailed 24-h dietary recall for each participant. Although cumbersome, the 24-h urinary iodine excretion is considered the best biomarker to assess and monitor the recent iodine intake of a given population [A major limitation of the study was the relatively small sample size. The data collection was performed during the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite the efforts made to solve the inherent implications, it was impossible to achieve the sample size initially estimated [