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Systematic review of dietary salt reduction policies : evidence for an effectiveness hierarchy?

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Hyseni, L., Elliot-Green, A., Lloyd-Williams, F., Kypridemos, C., O'Flaherty, M., McGill, R., Orton, L., Bromley, H., Cappuccio, Francesco and Capewell, S. (2017) Systematic review of dietary salt reduction policies : evidence for an effectiveness hierarchy? PLoS One, 12 (5). e0177535. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0177535

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Abstract

We searched six electronic databases (CDSR, CRD, MEDLINE, SCI, SCOPUS and the Campbell Library) using a pre-piloted search strategy focussing on the effectiveness of population interventions to reduce salt intake. Retrieved papers were independently screened, appraised and graded for quality by two researchers. To facilitate comparisons between the interventions, the extracted data were categorised using nine stages along the agentic/structural continuum, from “downstream”: dietary counselling (for individuals, worksites or communities), through media campaigns, nutrition labelling, voluntary and mandatory reformulation, to the most “upstream” regulatory and fiscal interventions, and comprehensive strategies involving multiple components.

Results

After screening 2,526 candidate papers, 70 were included in this systematic review (49 empirical studies and 21 modelling studies). Some papers described several interventions. Quality was variable. Multi-component strategies involving both upstream and downstream interventions, generally achieved the biggest reductions in salt consumption across an entire population, most notably 4g/day in Finland and Japan, 3g/day in Turkey and 1.3g/day recently in the UK. Mandatory reformulation alone could achieve a reduction of approximately 1.45g/day (three separate studies), followed by voluntary reformulation (-0.8g/day), school interventions (-0.7g/day), short term dietary advice (-0.6g/day) and nutrition labelling (-0.4g/day), but each with a wide range. Tax and community based counselling could, each typically reduce salt intake by 0.3g/day, whilst even smaller population benefits were derived from health education media campaigns (-0.1g/day). Worksite interventions achieved an increase in intake (+0.5g/day), however, with a very wide range. Long term dietary advice could achieve a -2g/day reduction under optimal research trial conditions; however, smaller reductions might be anticipated in unselected individuals.

Conclusions

Comprehensive strategies involving multiple components (reformulation, food labelling and media campaigns) and “upstream” population-wide policies such as mandatory reformulation generally appear to achieve larger reductions in population-wide salt consumption than “downstream”, individually focussed interventions. This ‘effectiveness hierarchy’ might deserve greater emphasis in future NCD prevention strategies.

Item Type: Journal Article
Subjects: R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Divisions: Faculty of Science > Life Sciences (2010- )
Faculty of Medicine > Warwick Medical School
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH): Chronic diseases -- Prevention, Salt -- Physiological effect -- Research, Nutrition policy
Journal or Publication Title: PLoS One
Publisher: Public Library of Science
ISSN: 1932-6203
Official Date: 18 May 2017
Dates:
DateEvent
18 May 2017Published
29 April 2017Accepted
Volume: 12
Number: 5
Article Number: e0177535
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177535
Status: Peer Reviewed
Publication Status: Published
Access rights to Published version: Open Access
Funder: National Institute for Health Research (Great Britain). School for Public Health Research (NIHR SPHR), Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE)

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