Interventions
DISEASE
The intervention included health education lectures, monitoring of salt intake, and establishment of a supportive environment. The intervention lasted for one year.The lectures comprised six sessions of education on salt reduction, disseminating knowledge on the harmful effects of high sodium intake on health, the source of salt in the daily diet, use of low sodium salt, skills for reducing salt intake during cooking (for example, using natural spices instead of salty condiments to improve the taste) and tips for purchasing pre-packaged food (for example, choosing low sodium products by reading nutrition labels). Each lesson lasted 40 minutes, and lessons were conducted once every two months by trained personnel from the local county Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). From session two to session six, a quiz was used before the lecture to help participants to review the key points taught in the previous sessions. Home cooks were invited to participate in all the lectures (and family members were also encouraged to do so).Salt intake was monitored by using a seven day estimation method.A supportive environment containing health education information on salt reduction was established in the community through various media strategies, including posters, short videos, loudspeaker broadcasts, leaflets, and manuals. In addition, we provided salt restriction spoons to the families as practical tools to reduce salt intake. The intervention aimed to create an atmosphere of salt reduction all over the community, so as to help to promote individual behaviour change. A detailed description of the intervention activities is provided in supplementary table A.