Action on Salt China gained extensive attention of UK Ministry of Health

On 13 November 2018, a health research delegation led by Professor Alex Ademokun, Head of Global Health Research Programme of the Department of Health and Social Care in the UK, visited The George Institute China to discuss strategies and progress regarding the Action on Salt China (ASC) project together with multiple cooperative units of ASC.

Salt reduction has gained its worldwide recognition as one of the most cost-effective intervention strategies for chronic diseases management. However, due to the influence of traditional Chinese cooking and dining habits, the salt intake of Chinese people has remained at a high level, far higher than the recommended amount of no more than 6 grams per day for adults.  This makes China one of the countries with the largest salt intake in the world. Currently in China, there are 245 million hypertensive patients aged 18 years or more, and some 435 million people with ‘high-normal’ levels of blood pressure. The mortality related to high dietary salt intake is estimated to contribute to more than 1 in 10 deaths. These statistics demonstrate that reducing the salt consumption of Chinese people is a  high priority.

The ASC project is a 4-year salt reduction project funded by UK’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). It is a collaboration between the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and The George Institute, China, and involves broad program of  work with health authorities of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (China CDC), Chinese Center for Health Education (CCHE) and China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment (CFSA) and Beihang University. The project also involves a series of randomized controlled trials of different specific interventions in different settings.

Ms. Zhu Yunyun, Director of Finance and Operation at George Institute (China), and Professor He Fengjun, UK Director of ASC project, expressed their warm welcome to guests. The UK delegation indicated their full recognition of ASC project and gave positive feedback regarding the scope of activities and the detailed project management and governance.