Salt-Swap
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Randomised controlled feasibility trial of a complex behavioural intervention to reduce salt intake among people with high blood pressure.
IRAS ID
219936
Contact name
Sarah Payne Riches
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Oxford
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 8 months, days
Research summary
High blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and stroke and is a major cause of ill-health in the UK. There is evidence that eating too much salt can increase your blood pressure. The recommended salt intake for adults is less than 6g/day, but the average adult in the UK eats 8.1g/day. The majority of the salt people eat comes from packaged or processed foods. For many high-salt products there is a similar, lower-salt alternative but it can be difficult for shoppers to quickly identify these alternatives.
The aim of this study is to test a new intervention to help people with high blood pressure to reduce their salt intake, by helping them choose lower-salt products when supermarket shopping. The intervention will consist of:
a) Advice from a healthcare professional about salt and its effect on blood pressure;
b) Instruction to download and use a smartphone app which suggests lower-salt alternatives when grocery shopping.We will test this approach in a small initial trial involving 40 people, recruited from GP practices in Oxfordshire. Half of the participants will be allocated, at random, to receive the intervention and the other half will receive a standard information booklet by post. As part of the trial I will accompany some participants on a shopping trip to observe how they choose which foods to buy, including how they use the app while shopping. We will also collect till receipts over the course of the study. After 6 weeks, we will measure participants’ salt intake (via urine samples), take their blood pressure and gather their thoughts about the study via a survey.
This initial study will help us to decide whether a larger study should be done to test how well the intervention works, and how any future study should be conducted.
(British Heart Foundation funded).REC name
South Central - Hampshire B Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
17/SC/0098
Date of REC Opinion
17 Mar 2017
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion