Changing sodium intake in children. The Minneapolis Children's Blood Pressure Study

Abstract

To assess the effects of modifying dietary sodium intake, 80 school children with blood pressures above the 95th percentile for age and sex but below 130/90 mm Hg at school screening were randomized to a family intervention program or a control group. Twenty children aged 6 to 9 years and their families began a program to modify the family diet toward a goal of 70 mEq sodium per person per day. Adherence was assessed by 3-day food records and urine collections in children and adults. The sodium intakes and blood pressures of the intervention and control group were compared 1 year after randomization. Sodium intake was significantly lower in the intervention group only in the active participants as compared to dropouts and controls (87 vs 130 and 133 mmoles/24 hr). There were no significant differences between the groups in height, weight, or blood pressure.