Knowledge of Salt intake and Blood Pressure Control among Hypertensive Patients in a Tertiary Hospital

Abstract

As the prevalence of hypertension increases in adult Nigerians, achieving target blood pressure (BP) control has become an important management challenge. High salt intake is an important risk factor for hypertension and its high intake prevents adequate BP control. This study aims to explore the knowledge of salt intake and blood pressure control among hypertensive patients. Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample involving 564 adult hypertensive patients that were followed for at least 3 months prior to recruitment to this study. Data collection comprised interviewer-administered structured questionnaires about demographics, knowledge and practices related to salt, followed by measurement of blood pressure. A majority (92.9%) of the respondents knew that eating too much salt could affect health and less than one-half (40.1%) actually knew that not more than one teaspoon of salt should be consumed daily. Nearly all respondents (516) knew high BP to be a possible consequence of high salt intake. Among those that took a lot of salty food, 87.7% and 78.5% had high systolic BP and diastolic BP respectively. Although the majority of respondents were knowledgeable about the adverse effects of salt, few knew the daily intake recommended value. The higher the dietary salt intake, the higher the chances of having poor BP control. Increased knowledge about recommended salt intake and individual guidance could be important for reducing salt intake in hypertensive patients.