Intake of High Sodium Cooked Foods Among Malays - Findings from the Malaysian Community Salt Survey (MyCoSS) 2018

Introduction High consumption of sodium contributes to high blood pressure and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Malaysian Adult Nutrition Survey (MANS) in 2014 reported that median sodium intake by Malaysian adults was 1935mg/day. Objective The objective of this study is to identify the preference of high sodium cooked foods among Malay adults in Malaysia. Materials and Methods Study Design & Study Size Data was obtained from the Malaysian Community Salt Survey (MyCoSS), a cross-sectional study of adults aged 18 years and above. A total of 662 Malay respondents were interviewed. Methods Face to face interviews were done using a pretested and validated Food Frequency Questionaire (FFQ) of food items with high salt content. Analysis Descriptive analysis was done using SPSS version 26.0. Results [Refer to Poster]. Discussion and Conclusion Based on Malaysian Community Salt Survey (MyCoSS) 2017-2018, the major sodium contributor in the Malaysian diet was from cooked food. By Body Mass Index (BMI) Classification, overweight respondents were highest among Malay with prevalence 37.2%. Compared to the MyCoSS overall study for Malaysian population, fried vegetables remain the most top 5 high sodium food most consumed by Malaysian. This could be due to the fact of added salt and seasoning into cooked vegetables. Understanding the preference and consumption of high sodium food among Malaysian may help to strengthen the national strategy to educate the public on decreasing high sodium foods intake. The effects on high sodium consumption to cardiovascular risks, and other clinical markers associated to the diseases shall be highlighted and explored further to understanding on sodium impact to health