Length Of Stay At Urban Coastal and Sodium Intake In The Elderly Participating In Health Care Program

Abstract

Hypertension (HT) is the most common and preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the worldwide. Risk factors for HT include the age, high intake of sodium, and low intake of potassium, as well as the geographical location of a region. Recent studies revealed that communities dwelling in coastal area have a high risk of HT relating to high exposure of salty foods. This study was aimed to analyze the correlation between the length of stay and the sodium intake in elderly at urban coastal communities in Indonesia. Sodium intake was measured by 24-h single urinary while the association was assessed by spearman at a significance level of 5%. The subjects were 51 postmenopausal women aged ≥ 45 years old participating in health care program. The result demonstrated 37.3% subjects were classified as hypertensive. Almost all subjects have been living in the coastal area since birth, so the mean of residence was almost similar to the mean age (52.8±12.57) years. It indicated a significant inversely correlation between the length of stay and the sodium intake (r = -0.37, p = 0.007), but insignificant correlation between the length of stay and the blood pressure. Length of stay in coastal located at urban cities is associated with low sodium intake. Participating in health care program, our subjects have the awareness on the harmful effects of excessive salt consumption which allegedly causes their limited salt consumption. The high prevalence of HT among the elderly may be caused by hormonal problem rather than the length of stay and the sodium intake.