Two Initiatives Worth their Weight in Salt

Globally, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), such as heart disease and stroke, are leading causes of death in adults 25 years of age and older.  Studies show that excess sodium intake is a key risk factor for hypertension which accounts for almost 50% of CVDs worldwide. As a sresult, reducing sodium reduction is a domestic and global priority.  

 Philadelphia, PA and Shandong Province, China, have high incidence of hypertension relative to the national average: both are working through community and policy approaches to help reduce their burden of hypertension. 

The Shandong Ministry of Health Action on Salt and Hypertension (SMASH) is a comprehensive salt reduction project aimed to reduce salt intake by 20% in 5 years. A collaboration of China’s national and Shandong’s provincial government, one aspect of SMASH is the work through restaurants to reduce salt in cuisine. This includes: development of sodium standards for Shandong cuisine and lower salt menus; conducting chef training and chef contests for reformulated lower salt recipes, monitor salt usage in cuisine, and development of health communication aimed to increase consumer knowledge and awareness.

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health (PDPH) and Temple University’s Center for Asian Health launched the Healthy Chinese Take-out Initiative (HCTI) in 2012 to reduce the sodium content in take-out dishes by 10-15%. Owners/chefs receive cooking trainings, technical assistance and sodium resources. Additional PDPH sodium reduction efforts include a salt media campaign and implementation of nutrition standards within City departments.

SMASH and the HCTI  have similar goals and approaches; sharing the experiences of each program and  leveraging resources  has helped to enhance both programs. This presentation will provide details of both programs, the implementation and respective evaluation efforts.