J Am Diet Assoc
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Achieving the salt intake target of 6 g/day in the current food supply in free-living adults using two dietary education strategies.
There are national targets for salt intake of 6 g salt/day in Australia and the United States. Despite this, there is limited knowledge about the effectiveness of dietary education in reducing salt intake to this level. The objective of this study was to investigate whether dietary education enabled a reduction in salt consumption. ⋯ After 8 weeks, urinary sodium excretion decreased from 121+/-50 to 106+/-47 mmol/24 hours (7.3+/-3.0 to 6.4+/-2.8 g salt/24 hours) in the Tick group and from 132+/-44 to 98+/-50 mmol/24 hours (7.9+/-2.6 to 6.0+/-3.0 g salt/24 hours) in the Food Standards Australia New Zealand group (P<0.05, with no between-group difference). Barriers to salt reduction were limited variety and food choice, difficulty when eating out, and increased time associated with identifying foods. In conclusion, dietary sodium reduction is possible among free-living individuals who received dietary advice.
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Existing literature suggests prenatal participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) may reduce breastfeeding among low-income mothers. However, little is known about whether the timing of WIC entrance during pregnancy influences infant feeding decisions. ⋯ Prenatal WIC participation is associated with a greater likelihood of providing babies infant formula rather than breastmilk after birth. Findings also indicate that there are critical prenatal periods for educating women about the health risks of early cow's milk introduction. Given the health implications of feeding infants cow's milk too early, WIC may be successful in educating women on the health risks of introducing complementary foods early, even if direct counseling on cow's milk is not provided.