(P20-026-24) Break-Up With Salt (BUWS), Community-Based Nutrition Education Supporting Hypertension Prevention and Management

Objectives: To determine if the Break-Up with Salt (BUWS) program improves confidence in DASH diet-style food and related behaviors associated with hypertension prevention and management.

Methods: The program was designed to convey practical knowledge and develop skills to reduce key controllable hypertension risk factors. The BUWS curriculum consists of four weekly sessions covering topics from understanding hypertension and cultivating heart-healthy habits to integrating DASH diet principles as an effective tool for managing high blood pressure. Participants engaged in practical skill building such as label reading, DASH diet focused grocery shopping, use of herbs and spices for low sodium meal preparation, and incorporation of physical activity into daily routines. A 5-item survey (pre and post) captured confidence in key indicators of food/eating behaviors associated with the DASH diet and small lifestyle changes to improve blood pressure. Twenty-seven participants started the program; 17 completed all four sessions. Participants were predominantly women over 50 years old. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test with a 5% significance level was used to analyze pre/post change.

Results: Participants improved across the five evaluation items (p < 0.05). The pre-post analysis, presented as percent increase, demonstrated that participants increased their confidence in knowing how to: select foods and fix meals that follow the DASH eating plan (35%); use food labels when grocery shopping, to figure out which foods are healthier (19%); prepare flavorful food without adding salt (14%); make small, simple lifestyle changes to help manage blood pressure (14%); make lower sodium food choices when eating out (11%).

Conclusions: BUWS has potential to positively influence food and physical activity-related behaviors that help mitigate hypertension long-term.

Funding Sources: This research was funded through the Louisiana State University Agricultural Center.