title: Incorporating hypertensive patient education on salt intake into an introductory pharmacy practice experience.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the impact of the Salt Education Program for hypertensive adults on student pharmacists' knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes regarding sodium consumption.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of the introductory pharmacy practice experience program in community pharmacies, student pharmacists assessed patients' sodium intake knowledge and behaviors, taught them how to read nutrition labels, and obtained information about their hypertensive conditions. Students completed pre-and post-intervention questionnaires in April and August 2012, respectively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred thirty student pharmacists (70% female, 78% white) completed pre- and post-intervention questionnaires. Students demonstrated significant improvements in knowledge scores (p<0.001) and perceived benefit of a low-salt diet (p=0.004). Further, there were significant improvements in the self-reported frequency of looking at sodium content of foods when shopping (p<0.001) and purchasing low-salt foods (p=0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Changes in students' knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes after participating in the Salt Education program suggested that the program was effective in improving student knowledge, behaviors, and attitudes.
authors.affiliation: Harrison School of Pharmacy, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.
authors.forename: Kimberly B
authors.initials: KB
authors.lastname: Garza
authors.forename: Salisa C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Westrick
authors.forename: Benjamin S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Teeter
authors.forename: T Lynn
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Stevenson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D005515:Food Labeling; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000458:organization & administration; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013339:Students, Pharmacy; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary
keywords: dietary behaviors; knowledge; patient education; salt; sodium