German Clinical Trials Register

Acronym/abbreviation of the study

Gesund+Gut: Na Klar!

URL of the study

No Entry

Brief summary in lay language

Background: High salt intake is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The Swiss salt strategy therefore seeks to gradually reduce salt intake to the international recommendation of five grams per day. The investigation looks at the impact of various measures to reduce salt intake among test participants who regularly take their meals at staff restaurants. Aim: Many workers regularly take lunch at a company-provided staff restaurant. This study investigates how salt intake and the associated blood pressure of the working population can be reduced by means of measures in relation to promoting health within the workplace. This is done by gradually optimising the salt content in the food offered by the staff restaurants of voluntarily participating companies over the course of one year. During the same period, the kitchen staff and staff restaurant users are given theoretical information and practical advice on health eating. The purpose of these measures is to motivate the participants in the study and support them in gradually improving their skills, attitudes, and habits in relation to food preparation and consumption. The salt content of the meals offered is investigated in the laboratory. The salt intake, blood pressure, weight, size and health awareness of study participants are also assessed. Finally, the results are compared with those collected from companies that have not changed their staff restaurant offering. Significance: The project is delivering new findings on the factors that encourage or prevent the implementation of health promotion measures in companies and staff restaurants. It will show the extent to which general health can be promoted at low cost. The findings will allow measures intended to reduce salt intake to be assessed in relation to their practical relevance and transferability. This will allow for feasible catering and training plans to be created, and other activities to promote healthy living to be developed at policy, corporate and individual levels.

Brief summary in scientific language

Reducing salt intake at the population level is considered a promising and cost-effective means to reduce cardiovascular disease risk. The Swiss Salt Strategy is pursuing an average salt intake of <8g per person per day at the population level (a 16% reduction) as intermediate goal. For the longer term, the aim is to decrease the intake to 5g/day, as recommended by WHO. Measures should address the overall salt intake distribution in the typical Swiss diet focusing on a stepwise reduction of salt content in major food sources, including offers by the food service industry, and taking into account consumers health literacy and related behaviours. A one year, four-phased community trial is planned in organizations/staff canteens in German-speaking Switzerland, with an intervention and a control group (up to 400 consumers each, 15-65 yrs old from matching canteens; 2x8 clusters,). The objective is to demonstrate the effectiveness of a combined progressive environmental and nutrition educational/motivational intervention in the workplace in reducing the consumers average daily total dietary salt intakes by 16% or more (according to the Swiss salt strategy intermediate goal). For the intervention group the luncheons’ salt contents are reduced step by step, i.e. 4% per phase (total 4x4% = 16% reduction) and concurrently study participants are provided with increasingly specific information (knowledge and skills) on how to put a nutritionally well-balanced diet into action. The consumers in the control group are being served habitual luncheons and they have access to publicly available, general information on healthy eating only. Outcome measures are changes in sodium/salt intake (24 hour and spot urine collection), blood pressure, overall diet composition (3 day food record checklist), anthropometric indices (weight, height, waist and hip circumference) and health literacy (health literacy questionnaire) in the intervention as compared with the control group. Measures are taken at 0/3/6/9/12 months and 0/6/12 months for the intervention and control group, respectively. The community trial will help identifying barriers and promoters for participation of organizations, their staff canteens and their employees. It will demonstrate the practical relevance, and in consequence, the exportability of the shown effectiveness of the intervention elements. The research results should be incorporated in the establishment of easily applicable concepts which facilitate manufacturing/providing and consuming a healthy diet for a healthy life. Note: The intended cluster (organization) randomization proved infeasible. Organizations interested in participation did not accept random allocation to arm 1 (intervention) or arm 2 (control).