Receiving advice from a health professional and action taken to reduce dietary sodium intake among adults

Abstract

Objective: Population reductions in sodium intake could prevent hypertension, and current guidelines recommend that clinicians advise patients to reduce intake. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of taking action and receiving advice from a health professional to reduce sodium intake in 10 US jurisdictions, including the first-ever data in New York state and Guam. Design: weighted prevalence and 95% confidence intervals (CI) overall and by location, demographic group, health status, and receipt of provider advice using self-reported data from the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System optional sodium module Setting: seven states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam Participants: adults aged ≥18 years Results: Overall, 53.6% (CI: 52.7, 54.5) of adults reported taking action to reduce sodium intake, including 54.8% (CI: 52.8, 56.7) in New York and 61.2% (CI: 57.6, 64.7) in Guam. Prevalence varied by demographic and health characteristics and was higher among adults who reported having hypertension (72.5%; CI: 71.2, 73.7) vs. those who did not report having hypertension (43.9%; CI: 42.7, 45.0). Among those who reported receiving sodium reduction advice from a health professional, 82.6% (CI: 81.3, 83.9) reported action vs. 44.4% (CI: 43.4, 45.5) among those who did not receive advice. However, only 24.0% (CI: 23.3, 24.7) of adults reported receiving advice from a health professional to reduce sodium intake. Conclusions: The majority of adults report taking action to reduce sodium intake. Results highlight an opportunity to increase sodium reduction advice from health professionals during clinical visits to better align with existing guidelines.

Self-reported consumption frequency of meat and fish products among young adults in Kazakhstan

“…Frequent consumption of meat, especially processed meat, has been consistently associated with an increased risk of type 2 DM in prospective studies (Song et al, 2004; Würtz et al, 2021). Moreover, processed meats might lead to high sodium intake, which increases risks for high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke (Delgado et al, 2021; Woodruff et al, 2021). To minimize the risk of development of type 2 DM, authorities in many countries suggest healthy diet and regular physical activity (Schulze and Hu, 2005).…”