Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39479900›Full record

ArticleThe British journal of nutrition2024

Burden of selenium deficiency and cost-effectiveness of selenium agronomic biofortification of staple cereals in Ethiopia.

Abdu Oumer, Edward J M Joy, Hugo De Groote, Martin R Broadley, Dawd Gashu

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The British journal of nutrition, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Selenium biofortification: integrating one health and sustainability.Journal of the science of food and agriculture · 2026
    Review
  4. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Abdu OumerSchool of Public Health, College of Health and Medical Sciences, Haramaya University, Harar, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0001-6077-3556
Edward J M JoyFaculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, LondonWC1E 7HT, UK.
Hugo De GrooteSustainable Agrifood Systems Program, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT), Nairobi, Kenya.
Martin R BroadleyRothamsted Research, Harpenden, HertfordshireAL5 2JQ, UK.
Dawd GashuCenter for Food Science and Nutrition, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.ORCID 0000-0002-6067-4432

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Selenium (Se) deficiency among populations in Ethiopia is consistent with low concentrations of Se in soil and crops that could be addressed partly by Se-enriched fertilisers. This study examines the disease burden of Se deficiency in Ethiopia and evaluates the cost-effectiveness of Se agronomic biofortification. A disability-adjusted life years (DALY) framework was used, considering goiter, anaemia, and cognitive dysfunction among children and women. The potential efficiency of Se agronomic biofortification was calculated from baseline crop composition and response to Se fertilisers based on an application of 10 g/ha Se fertiliser under optimistic and pessimistic scenarios. The calculated cost per DALY was compared against gross domestic product (GDP; below 1-3 times national GDP) to consider as a cost-effective intervention. The existing national food basket supplies a total of 28·2 µg of Se for adults and 11·3 µg of Se for children, where the risk of inadequate dietary Se reaches 99·1 %-100 %. Cereals account for 61 % of the dietary Se supply. Human Se deficiency contributes to 0·164 million DALYs among children and women. Hence, 52 %, 43 %, and 5 % of the DALYs lost are attributed to anaemia, goiter, and cognitive dysfunction, respectively. Application of Se fertilisers to soils could avert an estimated 21·2-67·1 %, 26·6-67·5 % and 19·9-66·1 % of DALY via maize, teff and wheat at a cost of US$129·6-226·0, US$149·6-209·1 and US$99·3-181·6, respectively. Soil Se fertilisation of cereals could therefore be a cost-effective strategy to help alleviate Se deficiency in Ethiopia, with precedents in Finland.

Indexed as

BiofortificationCost-Benefit AnalysisEdible GrainFood, FortifiedSeleniumAdultAnemiaChildChild, PreschoolCost of IllnessCrops, AgriculturalDietDisability-Adjusted Life YearsEthiopiaFemaleFertilizersFertilizersSeleniumCost-effectivenessDALYEthiopiaSeleniumSelenium agronomic biofortification

Identifiers

PMID39479900
PMCPMC11600287

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.