Development of a Prototype Area for Reducing Sodium Consumption under the District Health Board (DHB) Mechanism: A Case Study of Village No. 1, Khuan Don Subdistrict, Khuan Don District, Satun Province

Abstract

The objective of this action research was to study the sodium consumption situation, develop and evaluate the prototype area for reducing sodium consumption under District Health Board (DHB) mechanism in Village No. 1, Khuan Don Subdistrict, Khuan Don District, Satun Province. By comparing sodium content consumption between the average sodium content survey in fiscal year 2023 and the post-study survey in fiscal year 2024. Data were collected using a salt meter via the Thai Salt Survey application and a survey of sodium levels in 160 food samples. An online sodium consumption awareness assessment from the Department of Disease Control's website was utilized to analyze data from 303 individuals. The descriptive statistics included percentages, averages, and content analysis.

The findings revealed that the average sodium chloride levels from mildly salty to very salty decreased after participation in the study. The mildly salty level decreased from 0.8 grams to 0.7 grams per 100 milliliters of food. The very salty level decreased from 1.6 grams to 1.3 grams. Home cooked foods showed the highest increase in safe sodium chloride levels. However, the researcher also realized foods with very high salt levels, which were coconut milk curry without spices, non-coconut milk curry with spices, and Som Tam. The assessment of sodium consumption awareness after participation in the study revealed that 94.4% of the population was aware, which increased from 38.6% in the fiscal year 2023. Thus, the findings could be utilized as a guideline to promote sodium consumption reduction policies under the mechanism of the District Health Board (DHB) at the national level. A population centered approach should be prioritized, and there should be a focus on developing accurate and easily accessible data-tracking methods to prevent new patient cases and reduce complications of patients with non-communicable diseases.