Changes in Consumer Attitudes toward Broad-Based and Environment-Specific Sodium Policies-SummerStyles 2012 and 2015.

Erika C Odom,Xin Tong,Katherine A John,Mary E Cogswell,Corine Whittick

doi:10.3390/nu9080836

Abstract

We examined temporal changes in consumer attitudes toward broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, and school and workplace cafeterias from the 2012 and 2015 SummerStyle surveys. We used two online, national research panel surveys to conduct a cross-sectional analysis of 7845 U.S. adults. Measures included self-reported agreement with broad-based actions and environment-specific policies to limit sodium in restaurants, manufactured foods, school cafeterias, workplace cafeterias, and quick-serve restaurants. Wald Chi-square tests were used to examine the difference between the two survey years and multivariate logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios. Agreement with broad-based actions to limit sodium in restaurants (45.9% agreed in 2015) and manufactured foods (56.5% agreed in 2015) did not change between 2012 and 2015. From 2012 to 2015, there was a significant increase in respondents that supported environment-specific policies to lower sodium in school cafeterias (80.0% to 84.9%; p < 0.0001), workplace cafeterias (71.2% to 76.6%; p < 0.0001), and quick-serve restaurants (70.8% to 76.7%; p < 0.0001). Results suggest substantial agreement and support for actions to limit sodium in commercially-processed and prepared foods since 2012, with most consumers ready for actions to lower sodium in foods served in schools, workplaces, and quick-serve restaurants.

Highlights

Excessive consumption of dietary sodium is a major risk factor for hypertension, and subsequent heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in the United States
Consumer support for environment-specific policies limiting sodium in cafeterias and quick-serve restaurants were seen across a range of sociodemographic subgroups in both years, with the highest support observed among non-Hispanic blacks
A previous study suggests that non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics are more likely to report taking action to reduce their sodium intake and are more likely to report being told by a healthcare professional to do so [15], which may suggest an openness towards policies limiting sodium in the food supply

Summary

Introduction

Excessive consumption of dietary sodium is a major risk factor for hypertension, and subsequent heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death in the United States. About 90% of U.S adults still consume too much sodium [4]. Because most of the sodium consumed comes from commercially-processed and prepared foods [5], in 2010, the Institute. Nutrients 2017, 9, 836 of Medicine recommended government action to reduce sodium in the U.S food supply. Reducing sodium calls for a multifaceted approach that includes the collaboration of food manufacturers, industry/vendors, and local policies [6,7,8]. Consumer agreement with such broad-based actions could suggest support for sodium reduction in manufactured and prepared foods

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion