Editorial

South Africa’s salt reduction strategy: Are we on track, and what lies ahead

South Africa's salt reduction strategy : are we on track, and what lies ahead?

CITATION: Webster, J., et al. 2017. South Africa's salt reduction strategy : are we on track, and what lies ahead?. South African Medical Journal, 107(1):20-21, doi:10.7196/SAMJ.2017.v107i1.12120.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaOn 2 September 2016, 25 local and international participants from various sectors met in Cape Town to take stock of South Africa (SA)’s progress in salt reduction and develop a roadmap for action. SA is centre stage on salt reduction globally, being the first country to mandate salt reduction across a wide range of processed foods. Excessive salt intake contributed by processed foods and discretionary sources motivated SA to implement a public awareness campaign in parallel with legislation to reduce salt intake to the World Health Organization target of 5 g per day. Five priority areas were identified for continued action on salt reduction, including obtaining research funds for continued monitoring and compliance of salt reduction targets. Determining the contribution of foods eaten out of home to total salt intake and implementing strategies to address this sector were also highlighted as key actions. Lastly, implementing the next stage of the Salt Watch awareness campaign to change.http://www.samj.org.za/index.php/samj/article/view/11773Publisher's versio

Evaluation of a mass-media campaign to increase the awareness of the need to reduce discretionary salt use in the South African population

The South African strategic plan to reduce cardiovascular disease (CVD) includes reducing population salt intake to less than 5 g/day. A mass media campaign was undertaken to increase public awareness of the association between high salt intake, blood pressure and CVD, and focused on the reduction of discretionary salt intake. Community based surveys, before and after the campaign, were conducted in a cohort of black women aged 18-55 years. Questions on knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding salt use were asked. Current interest in engaging with salt reduction behaviors was assessed using the stage of change model. Five hundred fifty women participated in the baseline study and 477 in the follow-up survey. Most of the indicators of knowledge, attitudes and behavior change show a significant move towards considering and initiating reduced salt consumption. Post intervention, significantly more participants reported that they were taking steps to control salt intake (38% increased to 59.5%, p \u3c 0.0001). In particular, adding salt while cooking and at the table occurred significantly less frequently. The findings suggest that mass media campaigns may be an effective tool to use as part of a strategy to reduce discretionary consumption of salt among the population along with other methods