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Hypertension Research Programme - HT04
A school-based education program to reduce salt intake in children and their families
Project location: China
Project duration: 2012 - 2014
Funding organisation
Primary research aim
To determine whether an education program targeted at primary school children could lower salt intake in children and their families.
Methodologies
Design: Cluster-randomised controlled trial in 28 primary schools in urban Changzhi, northern China. 279 children in Grade 5 of primary schools with mean age of 10.1 years will be enrolled, and 553 adult family members (age 43.8 years) will also participate in the assessments.
Intervention: Schools will be randomly assigned to either the intervention or control group. Children in the intervention group will be educated on the harmful effects of salt and how to reduce salt intake using the schools’ usual health education lessons. Children will then deliver the salt reduction message to their families. The intervention duration is one school term (~3.5 months).
Main outcome measures: The primary outcome will be the difference between the intervention and the control group in the change of salt intake (measured by 24h urinary sodium) from baseline to the end of the trial in children and adults. The secondary outcome will be the difference between the two groups in the change of blood pressure.
Current status
The study has been successfully completed. The main paper has been written up. Cost-effective analysis is underway. Process evaluation analysis is in progress.
Project contact: Dr Feng He
Investigators
- Feng He, Queen Mary University of London, UK
- Yangfeng Wu, The George Institute China, Beijing, China
- Graham MacGregor, Queen Mary University of London, UK
Publications
- He FJ, Ma Y, Feng X, Zhang W, Lin L, Guo X, et al. Effect of salt reduction on iodine status assessed by 24 hour urinary iodine excretion in children and their families in northern China: a substudy of a cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ Open. 2016;6:e011168.
- Book: “The Technical Manuel of Behavioral Interventions for a School-based Salt Reduction Program Targeting on Primary Students and Families.” Edit by Wu Y, Ma J. Scientific and Technical Documnetation Press 2016.
- He FJ, Wu Y, Feng XX, Ma J, Ma Y, Wang H et al. School based education programme to reduce salt intake in children and their families (School-EduSalt): cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2015;350:h770. doi:10.1136/bmj.h770.
- He FJ, Wu Y, Ma J, Feng X, Wang H, Zhang J, et al. A school-based education programme to reduce salt intake in children and their families (School-EduSalt): protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ open. 2013; 3(7)