Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report - Sodium Intake Among Adults --- United States, 2006-2006 June 25, 2010
Dear Colleague:
We are pleased to present you with the enclosed electronic version of our new Sodium Reduction Awareness Toolkit. As you know, high sodium consumption (in the form of dietary salt) is a major contributor to epidemic levels of high blood pressure in the United States. High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke, coronary heart disease, heart attack, and heart and kidney failure in the United States, all of which contribute to death, disability, and disparities as well as the rising costs of health care. Reducing average population sodium intake may substantially reduce cases of hypertension, lower health care costs, and save tens of thousands of lives annually.
Reducing sodium intake among the population is a high public health priority. As part of a broader national effort, we developed this toolkit to support your work in educating people and groups about the seriousness of this issue. We hope these educational tools will help you to open or enhance dialogue among your partners on this topic and lead to fruitful discussions on how sodium reduction might be addressed in your state, communities, and organizations.
The Sodium Reduction Awareness Toolkit contains basic information on the risks of excess sodium consumption; common sources of sodium; and frequently asked questions on sodium reduction topics. Additional resources and tools—including those more specific to designing and implementing policies to combat high sodium consumption—will be available in the coming months.
Included with this correspondence, you will find the following educational materials:
To ensure that the toolkit is and remains responsive to your needs, an evaluation form will be sent to you in the future. We look forward to your feedback at that time. If you need additional assistance related to this toolkit or would like to share your feedback sooner, you can contact Chris Thomas, Public Health Advisor, at cthomas2@cdc.gov. Thank you for your work in helping to create a heart-healthy and stroke-free America!
Sincerely,
Darwin R. Labarthe, MD, MPH, PhD
Director, Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention