The high sodium condiments and pre-packaged food should be the focus of dietary sodium control in the adult Shanghai population

Abstract Background Long-term, excessively high sodium consumption can lead to increased blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Therefore, we aimed to analyze the dietary sodium intake and food sources to understand the epidemiological characteristics associated with potentially influencing variables in adults from Shanghai. Methods Residents aged 15 years and above were randomly selected using multi-stage stratified random sampling in Shanghai. Over 3 days, family condiments were weighed for each 24-h day, and recall surveys were conducted for the same timeframe regarding sodium intake during the spring, summer, autumn, and winter seasons. Results The median sodium intake for residents aged 15 years and above was 4.3 g/d in Shanghai, where 55.1% was obtained from cooking salt, 13.2% from sodium condiments, and 22.2% from pre-packaged food. There were no significant differences in total sodium intake or main sources of sodium intake between different seasons. The sodium intake of rural residents > suburban residents > urban residents (P