A School-based Education Programme to Reduce Salt Intake in Children and Their Families

Queen Mary University of London832 enrolled

Overview

The study is to test whether an education programme targeted at school children can lower salt intake in children and their families. In this study, the investigators will educate children on how to reduce salt intake, and the investigators will empower children by asking them to deliver the salt reduction message home to their families, particularly children need to persuade the person who does the cooking for the whole family to cut down on the amount of salt used during food preparations. The study will involve children aged about 11 years, and their parents and grandparents in Northern China.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

PREVENTION

Masking

SINGLE

Enrollment

832

Conditions

Healthy Volunteer

Interventions

Salt reduction

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 9 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Children Inclusion Criteria: * All children in Grade 5 of primary schools (age about 11 years) are eligible for the study. Exclusion Criteria: * Children who do not have lunch or dinner at their own home will be excluded. Adult family members: Inclusion Criteria: * For each participating child, we will recruit two adult family members. All adult family members who share the same meals with the child are eligible for the study. Exclusion Criteria: * If more than two adults in one family agree to take part in the study, we will select two of them (i.e. one male and one female) in the order of grandparents, parents, uncles and aunties.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

24-h urinary sodium

Difference between the intervention and control group in the change in 24-h urinary sodium from baseline to the end of follow-up for children and for adults

Time frame: 4.5 month

Secondary Outcomes

Blood pressure

Difference between the intervention and control group in the change in blood pressure from baseline to the end of follow-up for children and for adults.