title: The Science of Salt: A Regularly Updated Systematic Review of the Implementation of Salt Reduction Interventions (November 2015 to February 2016).
abstract: The objective of this periodic review was to identify, summarize, and appraise studies relating to the implementation of salt reduction strategies that were retrieved between November 2015 and February 2016. From the established MEDLINE search, 56 studies were identified as relevant to the implementation of salt reduction initiatives. Detailed appraisal was performed on seven studies that evaluated the impact of salt reduction interventions. While study quality varied, all had one or more risks related to bias. There was consistent evidence, from three studies, demonstrating that setting-based structural interventions to improve the nutritional composition of foods were effective in reducing salt but mixed evidence in relation to the effectiveness of behavioral interventions. The development of an evaluation guidance framework that supports scientific rigor and external validity would aid future design and interpretation of studies evaluating salt reduction interventions, particularly for low-resource countries.
authors.affiliation: George Institute for Global Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Kathy
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Trieu
authors.affiliation: Departments of Preventive & Social Medicine/Human Nutrition, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Rachael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: McLean
authors.affiliation: George Institute for Global Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: George Institute for Global Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Joseph Alvin
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: The George Institute for Global Health India, Hyderabad, India.
authors.forename: Thout Sudhir
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Raj
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Physiology and Pharmacology and Community Health Sciences, O'Brien Institute for Public Health and Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada.
authors.forename: Norm Rc
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: George Institute for Global Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Jacqui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Webster
mesh_terms: D000068456:Clinical Studies as Topic; D004039:Diet, Sodium-Restricted / Q000379:methods*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000628:therapy*; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D036301:Qualitative Research