Assessment of Salt status in the Moroccan population based on food frequency questionnaire & 24-hour dietary recall

Salt is an essential mineral to our health that, in its sodium form, is involved in many functional processes in human body. Excessive salt consumption increases the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations (UN) have identified salt reduction as one of the most cost-effective strategies to prevent the spread of non-communicable diseases. The objectives of the present study is to determine the salt status in the Moroccan population based on 24-hour dietary recall and food frequency. This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 133 children and adolescents recruited from public schools in Rabat regions. The average total salt intake status was assessed by 24 h dietary recall. Food frequency questionnaire was used to evaluate children’s nutritional habits and the consumption of food rich in salt. The average total salt intake is 5264.5±2398.6mg/day. The knowledge of the study population on the health risks of excess salt, 81% of participants stated that high salt consumption is positively associated with health risks, while only 7% confirmed that there is no relationship between excess salt and health problems. For the use of iodized salt, about half (46.6%) of the study population uses iodized salt. For each variable, a significant difference is shown between the subgroups (p<0.001). The current intake of salt is very high in both children and adults. Reducing salt intake is one of the most cost-effective measures to prevent CVD. A low-salt diet during childhood can prevent the development of CVD and hypertension later in life. However, there is no strategy to keep children and adults low in salt.