This is a real-world medical entrance exam question, please give the true answer based on the question and selection. Topic name: Nutrition and health, Subject name: Social & Preventive Medicine
Best method to measure goitre prevalence rate in community is - 
Select and explain. 
A. Neonatal hypothyroidism, B. Iodine level in salt, C. Adult hypothyroidism, D. Thyroid function test screening
A: Neonatal hypothyroidism
Answer: A: Neonatal hypothyroidism 
Explanation: Iodine monitoring Countries implementing control programmes require a network of laboratories for iodine monitoring and surveillance. These laboratories are essential for a) iodine excretion determination b) determination of iodine in water, soil and food as pa of epidemiological studies, and c) determination of iodine in salt for quality control. Neonatal hypothyroidism is a sensitive pointer to environmental iodine deficiency and can thus be an effective indicator for monitoring the impact of a programme Ref : Park 25th edition Pgno : 693