Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Sep 1;10(9):1198.
doi: 10.3390/nu10091198.

Measuring Children's Sodium and Potassium Intakes in NZ: A Pilot Study

Helen Eyles  1   2 , Neela Bhana  3 , Sang Eun Lee  4 , Carley Grimes  5 , Rachael McLean  6 , Caryl Nowson  7 , Clare Wall  8
Affiliations

Measuring Children's Sodium and Potassium Intakes in NZ: A Pilot Study

Helen Eyles et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Low sodium and high potassium intakes in childhood protect against rises in blood pressure (BP) and risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life. Our aim was to pilot methods for collection of 24-h urine samples (gold standard) and diet recalls to assess sodium and potassium intakes and their food sources in 30 children aged 8⁻11 years at one New Zealand primary school. A diverse sample (n = 27) was recruited over a two-week period. All children provided a urine sample (71% complete) and interviewer-assisted 24-h diet recall (Intake24 software). Median (range) sodium intake was 2191 (1087 to 4786) mg/day (salt equivalent 5.5 g), potassium intake was 1776 (800⁻2981) mg/day, BP was 105 (84⁻129)/62 (53⁻89) mmHg, and sodium to potassium molar ratio was 2.0 (1.1⁻4.8). Frequent use of discretionary salt was uncommon. Major food sources of sodium were bread, pies and pastries, and bread and pasta-based dishes, and potassium were sauces and condiments, dairy products, and non-alcoholic beverages. Most participants provided adequate data and enjoyed taking part. A larger survey is warranted to confirm findings and inform a potential intervention(s). Small improvements to study procedures and resources should improve completeness of urine samples and quality of 24-h diet recall data.

Keywords: Australasia; New Zealand; child; potassium; salt; sodium.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The founding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, and in the decision to publish the results.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Daily contribution of sodium from 16 major food groups (≥1% daily contribution) among participating children (n = 26).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Daily contribution of potassium from 17 major food groups (≥1% daily contribution) among participating children (n = 26).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Aburto N.J., Ziolkovska A., Hooper L., Elliott P., Cappuccio F.P., Meerpohl J.J. Effect of lower sodium intake on health: Systematic review and meta-analyses. Br. Med. J. 2013;346 doi: 10.1136/bmj.f1326. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Aburto N.J., Hanson S., Gutierrez H.R., Hooper L., Elliott P., Cappuccio F.P. Effect of increased potassium intake on cardiovascular risk factors and disease: Systematic review and meta-analyses. Br. Med. J. 2013;346 doi: 10.1136/bmj.f1378. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. GBD 2013 Risk Factors Collaborators Global, regional, and national comparative risk assessment of 79 behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risks or clusters of risks in 188 countries, 1990–2013: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2013. Lancet. 2015;386:2287–2323. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(15)00128-2. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Naghavi M., Abajobir A.A., Abbafati C., Abbas K.M., Abd-Allah F., Abera S.F., Aboyans V., Adetokunboh O., Afshin A., Agrawal A., et al. Global, regional, and national age-sex specific mortality for 264 causes of death, 1980–2016: A systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet. 2017;390:1151–1210. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32152-9. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ministry of Health . Health Loss in New Zealand: A Report from the New Zealand Burden of Diseases, Injuries and Risk Factors Study, 2006–2016. Ministry of Health; Wellington, New Zealand: 2013.