Table Salt Intake: Its Relationship to Hypertension

AUTHOR(S)

Mary Ruth Palaganas-Cinchez, E.d.D, Ph.D.

ABSTRACT

This research tried to determine the relationship between salt intake and hypertension among individuals with high blood pressure in San Carlos City, Bayambang, Calasiao, Pangasinan, calendar year 1995-1996. It tried to determine the profile of patients with hypertension in terms of age, sex, blood pressure, degree of salt intake and salt-sensitiveness. It also tried to find out if there were significant differences between the degree of salt intake of patients grouped according to the aforementioned variables. The research subjects were the outpatients of Virgen Milagrosa Medical Hospital in San Carlos City, Calasiao Community Clinic and Bayambang Community Clinic. The descriptive method research was used in the investigation and laboratory analysis done to gather the data needed in the study. Thus, the blood pressure of the research subjects were taken using sphygmomanometer and the table salt intake through urine analysis.
Research subjects consisted of the 135 out – patients of Virgen Milagrosa Medical Hospital in San Carlos City, Pangasinan, Bayambang Community Clinic in Calasiao, Pangasinan, calendar year 1995 – 1996, who were diagnosed by the physicians to have high blood pressure. To solve the problem raised in the study, frequency counts, percentages, mean, one – way classification analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the chi – square test of independence were employed.
Based on the significant findings made, the following conclusions were drawn: Hypertension is common among females and those who are over 40 years old although younger adults are also affected by persistent high blood pressure, Hypertensive individuals having an average blood pressure of 140/100 have normal salt intake and have low salt sensitiveness, Individuals with blood pressure of more than 140/100 have high salt intake. Moreover, the degree of salt intake has something to do with the blood pressure of human beings and the degree of salt intake is significantly related hypertension. Therefore, teachers in the elementary and high school should include in their lessons the effect of common table salt found in many processed and junk foods in the blood pressure of man and people especially with high blood pressure should be made aware of the results of this research through the Department of Health.