DETERMINATION OF SODIUM AND POTASSIUM IN THE URINE AND THE IMPACT ON THE BLOOD PRESSURE OF THE ADULT POPULATION IN WESTERN SLOVENIA

Čezmeren vnos natrija oziroma soli je pomemben prehranski dejavnik tveganja za zdravje in eden od glavnih vzrokov za nastanek kronično nenalezljivih bolezni: povišanega krvnega tlaka, bolezni srca in ožilja, bolezni ledvic, sladkorne bolezni, čezmerne hranjenosti in debelosti ter nekaterih vrst raka. Z magistrskim delom smo želeli ugotoviti in prikazati obstoječe stanje uživanja natrija in kalija pri odraslih prebivalcih zahodne Slovenije ter predstaviti problematiko prekomernega vnosa soli kot pomembnega prehranskega dejavnika tveganja za zdravje. Raziskovalna metodologija: Raziskava je temeljila na kvantitativni metodologiji, uporabljena je bila deskriptivna metoda dela. Za pregled literature in analizo so bile uporabljene primerjalne, presečne in randomizirane raziskave, ki so na voljo na podatkovnih bazah: Cobiss, Medline in Cinahl. Podatke, pridobljene od sodelujočih v raziskavi, smo pridobili od Nacionalnega inštituta za Javno zdravje Republike Slovenije. Pridobljene podatke smo prikazali v obliki grafov in tabel s pomočjo računalniškega programa Microsoft Office Excell 2010. Rezultati: Odrasli prebivalci Slovenije zaužijemo kar približno 150 % soli dnevno preveč. Ugotovili smo, da so povečane količine uživanja soli, nezdrava prehrana in nezadostna telesna aktivnost glavni dejavnik za nastanek kroničnih nenalezljivih bolezni, predvsem povišanega krvnega tlaka, ki predstavlja glavni vzrok tveganja smrti po svetu. Sklep: Že skromno zmanjšanje vnosa soli pri prebivalstvu bi imelo velike pozitivne učinke na zdravje skupaj z velikimi prihranki na stroških zdravljenja.The excessive intake of sodium (salt) is an important nutritional risk factor for health and one of the main causes of chronic non-infectious diseases: hypertension, cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, diabetes, excessive nutrition and obesity, and particular types of cancer. With this master\u27s thesis, we have tried to determine and display the consumption of sodium and potassium intake of the adult population of Western Slovenia, and present the problems of the excessive salt intake, as an important nutritional risk factor for health. Research methods: The study was based on a quantitative methodology, the descriptive method of data collection was used. For the literature review and analysis, comparative, cross-sectional and randomized studies have been used which are available in databases: Cobiss, Medline and CINAHL. The data from participants in the study have been obtained from the National Institute of Public Health of Slovenia. Acquired data have been presented in the form of graphs and tables with the help of a computer program Microsoft Office Excel, 2010. Results: The adult population of Slovenia daily consume around 150% of salt. We found out that the increased amounts of salt consumption, unhealthy diet, and lack of physical activity are the main factors for the occurrence of chronic non-infectious diseases, especially hypertension, which is the main cause and risk for deaths in the world. Conclusion: A modest reduction of salt intake in the population would have significant positive effects on health, along with huge savings on the cost of treatment