The Habitual Additional Sodium Intake among Hypertensive Patients Visiting a Tertiary Health-care Center, Indore, Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Background: Hypertension prevalence is related to dietary sodium chloride intake. People are consuming much more sodium than is physiologically necessary. The consumption of processed food in urban India has led to a prevalence of 24%-30% of hypertension. The people have a special liking of such type of foods. This study aimed at assessing consumption of sodium among the study subjects to compare habitual additional consumption of sodium among hypertensive and normotensive patients and to find its associate factors impacting hypertension.

Materials and methods: The hospital based, cross-sectional study was conducted on patients attending the outpatient department of general medicine. The sample size was 520 patients. Habitual additional intake of each patient was assessed by a food frequency table.

Results: As the age advances, the proportion of hypertensive patients increases (P < 0.05). Among hypertensive patients, 38.65% were not doing exercise (P < 0.05). The body mass index >25 was found among 11.92% normotensives and among 25.38% hypertensives (P < 0.05). There were 23% of hypertensive patients who could not receive dietary advice (P < 0.05). Habitual additional sodium consumption is more among 15-25 years age group (P < 0.05). Habitual additional sodium intake mean for those who were taking a pinch of salt is higher (P < 0.05). Habitual additional sodium intake is found to be significantly impacted by younger age, diagnosis, and lack of dietary advice (P < 0.05, P < 0.05, and P < 0.05).

Conclusion: Most of the age groups are consuming more than 2 g habitual additional sodium which is more than the World Health Organization-recommended maximum levels. The dietary advice was given to hypertensives that had a positive impact on habitual additional sodium intake.

Keywords: Dietary advice; habitual additional sodium; hypertension; pinch of salt.