scholarly journals Availability, Formulation, Labelling, and Price of Low-Sodium Salts Worldwide (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuejun Yin ◽  
Hueiming Liu ◽  
Jacqui Webster ◽  
Kathy Trieu ◽  
Mark D. Huffman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Sodium Chloride ◽  
Potassium Chloride ◽  
High Income ◽  
Potential Health ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Sodium Salts ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Low Sodium ◽  
The World

BACKGROUND Regular salt is about 100% sodium chloride (NaCl). Low-sodium salts have reduced sodium chloride content, most commonly through substitution with potassium chloride (KCl). Low-sodium salts have a potential role in reducing population sodium intake level and blood pressure, but its availability in global market was unknown. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the availability, formulation, labelling, and price of low-sodium salts currently available to consumers around the world. METHODS Low-sodium salts were identified through a systematic literature review, Google search, online shopping sites search, and inquiry of key informants. The keywords of “salt substitute”, “low-sodium salt”, “potassium salt”, “mineral salt”, and “sodium reduced salt” in six official languages of the United Nations were used for search. Information about the brand, formula, labelling, and price was extracted and analysed. RESULTS Eighty-seven low-sodium salts were available in 47 out of 195 countries around the world (24%), including 28 high-income countries, 13 upper-middle-income countries, and six lower-middle-income countries. The proportion of sodium chloride varied from 0% (sodium-free) to 88% (as percent of weight, regular salt is 100% NaCl). Potassium chloride was the most frequent another component with levels ranging from 0% to 100% (potassium chloride salt). Forty-three (49%) had labels advising potential health risk, 33 (38%) labelling the advice of potential health benefits. The median price of low-sodium salts in high-income, upper-middle-income, lower-middle-income countries was USD 15.0/kg (IQR: 6.4 to 22.5), USD 2.7/kg (IQR: 1.7 to 5.5) and USD 2.9/kg (IQR: 0.50 to 22.2) respectively. The price of low-sodium salts was between 1.1 and 14.6 times that of regular salts. CONCLUSIONS Low-sodium salts are not widely available and are commonly more expensive than regular salts. Policies that promote the availability, affordability and labelling of low-sodium salts should enhance appropriate uptake for blood pressure lowering and cardiovascular prevention. CLINICALTRIAL N/A INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.1111/jch.14054

scholarly journals Global competitiveness divide and the middle-income-trap

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Yaw Acheampong
Keyword(s):  
High Income ◽  
World Economic Forum ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Income Levels ◽  
Global Competitiveness ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Income Status ◽  
The World ◽  
World Economic ◽  
Middle Income Trap

In recent times, the middle-income trap (MIT) has become a pertinent issue as economists, researchers and development practitioners continue seek answers to why the majority of middle-income countries find it difficult to advance to high-income status. There is still no consensus in literature as to the exact cause(s) and the solution to the MIT. The World Economic Forum posits that, the score of countries on the Global Competitive Index (GCI) 4.0 accounts for over 80% of the variation in income levels of countries. This suggests that the extent of global competitiveness of countries could potentially help them to escape the MIT. However, some competitiveness literature have identified an apparent competitiveness divide among countries. This paper therefore seeks to answer the following questions: how does middle-income countries differ from the high-income countries in terms of global competitiveness. The study utilises an independent samples t-test and effect size measures to examine the GCI 4.0 scores of 140 countries. The study finds a very large and significant competitiveness divide between the high and middle-income countries.

The Effect of Potassium and Bicarbonate Ions on the Rise in Blood Pressure Caused by Sodium Chloride

1982 ◽  
Vol 63 (s8) ◽  
pp. 407s-409s ◽  
Author(s):  
T. O. Morgan
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Sodium Chloride ◽  
Sodium Bicarbonate ◽  
Potassium Chloride ◽  
Mild Hypertension ◽  
Sodium Intake ◽  
Reduce Blood Pressure ◽  
High Potassium ◽  
Bicarbonate Ions ◽  
Low Sodium

1. A group of eight patients with mild hypertension, sensitive to sodium intake, were studied. 2. Sodium chloride (70 mmol daily) caused their blood pressure to rise by 19/14 mmHg. 3. Sodium bicarbonate (70 mmol daily) caused their blood pressure to rise by 12/5 mmHg. 4. Sodium chloride given together with potassium chloride (70 mmol of each daily) caused their blood pressure to rise by 9.6 mmHg. 5. These results suggest that sodium bicarbonate causes a smaller rise in blood pressure than sodium chloride does and that potassium chloride reduces the blood pressure raising effect of sodium chloride. 6. A low sodium, high potassium and an alkaline diet may therefore be a more effective dietary method to reduce blood pressure than a diet low in sodium alone.

scholarly journals Disability and treatment of specific mental and physical disorders across the world

2008 ◽  
Vol 192 (5) ◽  
pp. 368-375 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Ormel ◽  
Maria Petukhova ◽  
Somnath Chatterji ◽  
Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola ◽  
Jordi Alonso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Disorders ◽  
High Income ◽  
World Health ◽  
Role Functioning ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
The World ◽  
Physical Disorders ◽  
Low And Middle Income

BackgroundAdvocates of expanded mental health treatment assert that mental disorders are as disabling as physical disorders, but little evidence supports this assertion.AimsTo establish the disability and treatment of specific mental and physical disorders in high-income and low- and middle-income countries.MethodCommunity epidemiological surveys were administered in 15 countries through the World Health Organization World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative.ResultsRespondents in both high-income and low- and middle-income countries attributed higher disability to mental disorders than to the commonly occurring physical disorders included in the surveys. This pattern held for all disorders and also for treated disorders. Disaggregation showed that the higher disability of mental than physical disorders was limited to disability in social and personal role functioning, whereas disability in productive role functioning was generally comparable for mental and physical disorders.ConclusionsDespite often higher disability, mental disorders are under-treated compared with physical disorders in both high-income and in low- and middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Comparing McDonald’s food marketing practices on official Instagram accounts across 15 countries

2021 ◽  
pp. e000229
Author(s):  
Omni Cassidy ◽  
Hye Won Shin ◽  
Edmund Song ◽  
Everett Jiang ◽  
Ravindra Harri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
High Income ◽  
Price Promotions ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Food Company ◽  
The World ◽  
Social Media Advertising

BackgroundSocial media advertising by fast food companies continues to increase globally, and exposure to food advertising contributes to poor diet and negative health outcomes (eg, cardiovascular disease). McDonald’s—the largest fast food company in the world—operates in 101 countries, but little is known about their marketing techniques in various regions. The objective of this study was to compare the social media advertising practices of McDonald’s—the largest fast food company in the world—in 15 high-income, upper-middle-income and lower-middle-income countries.MethodsWe randomly selected official McDonald’s Instagram accounts for 15 high-income, upper-middle-income and lower-middle-income countries. We captured all the screenshots that McDonald’s posted on those Instagram accounts from September to December 2019. We quantified the number of followers, ‘likes’, ‘comments’ and video views associated with each account in April 2020. We used content analysis to examine differences in the marketing techniques.ResultsThe 15 accounts collectively maintained 10 million followers and generated 3.9 million ‘likes’, 164 816 comments and 38.2 million video views. We identified 849 posts. The three lower-middle-income countries had more posts (n=324; M, SD=108.0, 38.2 posts) than the five upper-middle-income countries (n=227; M, SD=45.4, 37.5 posts) and seven high-income countries (n=298; M, SD=42.6, 28.2 posts). Approximately 12% of the posts in high-income countries included child-targeted themes compared with 22% in lower-middle-income countries. Fourteen per cent of the posts in high-income countries included price promotions and free giveaways compared with 40% in lower-middle-income countries.ConclusionsSocial media advertising has enabled McDonald’s to reach millions of consumers in lower-middle-income and upper-middle-income countries with disproportionately greater child-targeted ads and price promotions in lower-middle-income countries. Such reach is concerning because of the increased risk of diet-related illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, in these regions.

scholarly journals Development of Low Sodium Table Butter via Partial Replacement of Sodium Chloride with Potassium Chloride

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 6112-6118
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Sodium Chloride ◽  
Potassium Chloride ◽  
Dairy Product ◽  
Sodium Content ◽  
Partial Replacement ◽  
Common Salt ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Low Sodium ◽  
Daily Diet

Butter is a dairy product that is trendy among consumers because of its uncommon taste and aroma. Table butter involves the addition of common salt (NaCl) during its processing. Thus, its daily consumption leads to a high intake of sodium which is not good for health. Excessive sodium level in daily diet is associated with an increase in blood pressure of consumers which leads to certain heart disease including heart-stroke, cardiac-collapse and kidney disease. Hence, in the present study was designed to reduce the sodium content in the table butter via replacement of sodium chloride with potassium chloride. Potassium chloride not only replaces sodium but also provides the lowering of blood pressure (B.P.) in high B.P. patients. The present study reveals that low sodium butter made with potassium chloride is acceptable to consumer’s w.r.t. important sensory attributes. KCl in table butter can replace up to 30% of sodium chloride (NaCl) with acceptable sensory characteristics.

Injury Prevention Research and Global Child Health

2018 ◽  
pp. 339-358
Author(s):  
Nichole L. Hodges ◽  
Gary A. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Injury Prevention ◽  
High Income ◽  
Public Health Approach ◽  
Unintentional Injuries ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Mortality And Morbidity ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
The World ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Injuries are a leading cause of death and disability among children throughout the world. It is estimated that 735,500 children and teens younger than 20 years die from unintentional injuries annually. Although injuries are one of the most common causes of pediatric mortality globally, they do not affect all regions of the world equally. Low- and middle-income countries not only experience pediatric injuries at a much higher rate than high-income countries, but they also have greater total injury-related mortality and morbidity. An estimated 97% of all pediatric unintentional injury-related deaths occur in low-and middle-income countries. This chapter will describe the global public health burden and leading causes of unintentional injuries to children. We will also discuss the application of the public health approach and the principles of injury prevention to child injury. Best practices and case studies will be presented to highlight innovative research studies and evidence-based injury prevention strategies that have been implemented in low-, middle-, and high-income countries. The chapter closes with an overview of current research gaps and suggestions for advancing the field. This chapter will not discuss intentional injury specifically, which, in the editors’ assessment, deserves a detailed and comprehensive thesis— not achievable in a single chapter.

scholarly journals Measurement of the real urbanization level in China and its international comparison

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 287-317
Author(s):  
Jiming Cai ◽  
Du Guonan ◽  
Liu Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Development ◽  
High Income ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Urbanization Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Real ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
The World ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
Urbanization Rate

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to estimate the real urbanization level in China so as to provide a measurement that can be compared with the international level. Design/methodology/approach Taking into consideration 300m residents living in the administrative towns (300m residents here are referred to the population in administrative towns, including those in all counties), the gap between the urbanization rate of China and that of the world average becomes much wider. Findings China, however, implements the administrative system of government at the central, provincial, municipal, county and township levels. By city, it means the jurisdiction at and above the level of county, which includes the municipality directly under the central government, prefecture-level municipal and county. By town, it means the jurisdiction below the level of county (including the Chengguan Town, or capital town, where the county government is located) and exclusive of rural townships. Originality/value China has witnessed rapid development for 40 years since the reform and opening up in 1978. Nowadays, China has already stepped into the period of post-industrialization, with its urbanization rate (UR) of permanent population reaching 58.58 percent. However, on the basis of registered population, the UR is 43.37 percent, which is not only far below the average level of 81.3 percent in high-income countries, but also lower than the average of 65.8 percent in upper middle-income countries which are comparable to China in terms of per capita income. (The classification of state income level is based on the data of national income per capita and division standards in 2016 from the World Bank, in which annual revenue per capita in high-income countries reaches over US$12,736 and that in upper middle-income countries between US$4,126 and US$12,735.)

Nurse Prescribing From the Global Vantage Point: The Intersection Between Role and Policy

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 40-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elissa Ladd ◽  
Madrean Schober
Keyword(s):  
High Income ◽  
Task Sharing ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Advanced Level ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Nurse Prescribing ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
The World ◽  
Nursing Roles ◽  
Google Search

Nurses around the world are increasingly prescribing and managing pharmaceutical agents. Prescribing by nurses is currently based on varying nursing roles, depending on national and regional norms and practices. Prescribing occurs within the advance practice, advanced level, and task-sharing roles, depending on the country. It is evolving both within and outside of traditional regulatory frameworks. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to describe the nurse prescribing globally among various nursing roles that support and facilitate the practice. We gathered practice, statutory, and regulatory information from gray and peer-reviewed literature, Google search and Google scholar, government websites, PubMed, and CINAHL electronic databases. In contrast to previous global policy reviews that focus primarily on high-income nations, our findings suggest that nurse prescribing occurs extensively in all six continents. Nurse prescribing within the context of advanced practice nursing occurs mostly in high-income countries. However, the predominant model of nurse prescribing from the global context occurs within the advanced level role by postbasic or postprofessional nurses. Additional nurse prescribing occurs through less formal task-sharing arrangements, primarily in low- to middle-income countries. In general, nurse prescribing is evolving rapidly around the world but within highly variable roles and regulatory frameworks. Codifying these roles by strengthening of educational and regulatory standards may serve to enhance the health system capacity, especially in low- to middle-income countries.

scholarly journals Socioeconomic Status and Its Relation to Hypertension in Rural Nepal

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Sanju Bhattarai ◽  
Birgit Tandstad ◽  
Archana Shrestha ◽  
Biraj Karmacharya ◽  
Abhijit Sen
Keyword(s):  
Blood Pressure ◽  
Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Lifestyle Factors ◽  
High Income ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
Rural Nepal ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Introduction. Hypertension and its association with socioeconomic positions are well established. However, the gradient of these relationships and the mediating role of lifestyle factors among rural population in low- and middle-income countries such as Nepal are not fully understood. We sought to assess the association between socioeconomic factors (education, income, and employment status) and hypertension. Also, we assessed whether the effect of education and income level on hypertension was mediated by lifestyle factors. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 260 participants aged ≥18 years attending a rural health center in Dolakha, Nepal. Self-reported data on demographic, socioeconomic, and lifestyle factors were collected, and blood pressure, weight, and height were measured for all study participants. Those with systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg or administrating high blood pressure-lowering medicines were regarded as hypertensives. Poisson regression models were used to estimate the prevalence ratios and corresponding 95% confidence intervals to assess the association between socioeconomic factors and hypertension. We explored mediation, using the medeff command in Stata for causal mediation analysis of nonlinear models. Results. Of the 50 hypertensive participants, sixty percent were aware of their status. The age-standardized prevalence of hypertension was two times higher for those with higher education or high-income category. Compared to low-income and unemployed groups, the prevalence ratio of hypertension was 1.33 and 2.26 times more for those belonging to the high-income and employed groups, respectively. No evidence of mediation by lifestyle factors was observed between socioeconomic status and hypertension. Conclusions. Socioeconomic positions were positively associated with hypertension prevalence in rural Nepal. Further studies using longitudinal settings are necessary to validate our findings especially in low- and middle-income countries such as Nepal.

scholarly journals SIGNIFICANT PREDICTORS OF INTEREST IN GERIATRICS AMONG LOW, MIDDLE, AND HIGH INCOME COUNTRIES

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S150-S150
Author(s):  
Grace Karikari ◽  
David K Lohrmann ◽  
Lesa L Huber
Keyword(s):  
Medical Students ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
High Income ◽  
Fiscal Year ◽  
Cochrane Library ◽  
Middle Income ◽  
Middle Income Countries ◽  
The World ◽  
Low And Middle Income

Abstract Even though the demands for physicians with geriatric related specialties are higher than the available experts around the world, some countries and economies seem to be more impacted by the workforce shortage than others. This systematic review consolidated scientific evidence reporting the significant predictors of interest in pursuing a geriatric career among medical students’ in different countries. A 20-year (1998 – 2018) systematic literature review of high-quality primary research articles was conducted using PubMed, ERIC (EBSCO), Embase and Cochrane Library. Eleven articles (n =11) met the eligibility and quality assessment criteria. For analysis, studies were categorized into (i) low- and middle-income countries and (ii) high income countries, based on the WHO and the World Bank’s income grouping for the 2019 fiscal year. Medical students involved in this review were n = 1,683 representing students from different fields of medicine and year groups. The two most significant predictors of interest in geriatrics in the high-income countries were (1) positive attitudes towards the elderly and (ii) participation in a geriatric related intervention. Lack of published peer-reviewed articles from the low and middle-income countries limited the researchers’ ability to evaluate the similarities and differences between the two income groups. There is an overall need to stimulate interest in geriatric specialization among medical students. Leaders of the LMICs should invest in geriatric education and research in order to promote interest in the field, increase the geriatric workforce, and ultimately, improve the quality of life of the elderly in their respective countries

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