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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce consumption of sodium by people aged 2 years and over — NWS‑12 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Source:  National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), CDC/NCHS

Baseline: 3,414 milligrams (mg) of sodium from foods and beverages was the mean total daily intake by persons aged 2 years and over in 2013-16

Target: 2,731 mg

Numerator
Sum of daily intake of sodium (in mg) from a first day 24-hour recall among persons aged 2 years and over.
Denominator
Number of persons aged 2 years and over.
Target-setting method
Percent improvement
Target-setting method details
20 percent improvement from the baseline.
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were not available for this objective. A 20 percent improvement from the baseline was used to calculate a target. This method was used because based on the historical data of the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) What We Eat In America, the mean sodium intake from food and dietary supplements for the United States population aged two and older has had little or no change. However, there is a continuing national effort in reducing sodium consumption. The Healthy People 2030 Workgroup Subject Matter Experts viewed this as an ambitious yet achievable target.

Methodology

Methodology notes

Estimates include sodium intake from foods and beverages. The NHANES food consumption data included the collection of 1 day of dietary data for all respondents through in-person 24-hour recalls and collection of a 2nd-day 24-hour recall by telephone. For these analyses, sodium intake from only the first 24-hour recall will be used. Both dietary recalls are obtained by trained dietary interviewers using USDA's Automated Multiple Pass Method (AMPM). Each respondent was asked to recall the kinds and amounts of foods and beverages consumed at home and away from home during the previous day (midnight to midnight). Amounts of foods and beverages reported in household measures were then converted to gram amounts, and sodium intake from foods and beverages was estimated with the use of food composition files.

Breast-feeding children aged 2 years and older are excluded from the analysis.

Age-adjustment notes

This Indicator uses Age-Adjustment Groups:

  • Total: 2-5, 6-11, 12-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Sex: 2-5, 6-11, 12-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Race/Ethnicity: 2-5, 6-11, 12-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Educational Attainment: 25-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Family Income (percent poverty threshold): 2-5, 6-11, 12-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Health Insurance Status: 2-5, 6-11, 12-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-64
  • Marital Status: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Country of Birth: 2-5, 6-11, 12-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Veteran Status: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Activity limitation: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+
  • Obesity Status - Adults: 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Modified, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 but underwent a change in measurement.
Changes between HP2020 and HP2030
This objective differs from Healthy People 2020 objective NWS-19 in that the measure of sodium intake used for NWS-19 included intake from food and beverages, water, dietary supplements, and salt used at the table. In contrast, the measure used for this objective includes sodium intake from food and beverages only. Sodium intakes from water, dietary supplements, and salt used at the table were excluded to be consistent with the WWEIA total sodium intake estimate and the definition used in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Sodium intakes from water and dietary supplements are minimum, which can be eliminated. The estimation of sodium intake from salt used at the table is based on an outdated reference of method; therefore, it is not appropriate to apply for Healthy People 2030.
Revision History
Revised. 

In 2022, the baseline was revised from 3,406 to 3,414 due to a change in participant exclusion criteria for consistency with the analyses for food and nutrient intake objectives that were retained from HP2020. The target was revised from 2,725 to 2,731 using the original target setting method.