Salt overdose
A Ministry of Health and Wellness salt consumption study has found that 67 per cent of Jamaicans consume almost twice the recommended intake.
Health Minister Dr Christopher Tufton, who shared the research during the media launch of the 66th Annual Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) Health Research Conference, said the recommended sodium level is about 3.6 grams daily.
Other findings from phase one of the $13-million study, led by Professor Trevor Ferguson, director of the Epidemiology Research Unit at Caribbean Institute for Health Research, showed that 73 per cent of males have higher than recommended levels of sodium intake, with prevalence highest among men aged 45 to 54 years, while 60.7 per cent of females have higher than recommended levels of sodium intake, with prevalence greatest among those 35 to 44 years.
“Importantly, the estimated mean sodium consumption suggests a pattern of high sodium and low potassium consumption for almost 30 years, with results reported from phase one of the study similar to those from the Spanish Town Cohort Study of the 1990s,” said Tufton.
“Indeed, the majority of adult Jamaicans have diets high in sodium and low in potassium, requiring urgent public health interventions to reduce salt consumption and increase potassium intake to address the burden of hypertension and cardiovascular disease,” he added.
The study, which was launched in July 2021, was aimed at estimating the dietary sodium content in commonly consumed packaged foods sold in supermarkets and food chain restaurants; conducting a baseline survey on current knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding salt intake in Jamaica; and estimating current levels of salt consumption.
The health minister said that in addition to the ongoing salt research which is set for completion next year, a policy brief on sodium reduction was also developed.
“That brief takes stock of a number of approaches — from product reformulation, labelling, and consumer education to legislation and fiscal incentives to foster a reduction in the public consumption of sodium,” he added.
Additional data from the salt study, and other research will be shared at the CARPHA Health Research Conference set for September 15-17 at AC Marriott Hotel, Kingston.
The research will include COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy in the Jamaican Populace, perspectives of primary care providers and policymakers on the impact of COVID-19 on the health system in Dominica, and psychological effect of COVID-19 on Trinidad’s health-care workers in primary care during the pandemic.
The CARPHA programme was financed through the Inter-American Development Bank, European Union and the Government at approximately US $87 million.