Process Evaluation and Costing of a Multifaceted Population-Wide Intervention to Reduce Salt Consumption in Fiji

Nutrients. 2018 Jan 30;10(2):155. doi: 10.3390/nu10020155.

Abstract

This paper reports the process evaluation and costing of a national salt reduction intervention in Fiji. The population-wide intervention included engaging food industry to reduce salt in foods, strategic health communication and a hospital program. The evaluation showed a 1.4 g/day drop in salt intake from the 11.7 g/day at baseline; however, this was not statistically significant. To better understand intervention implementation, we collated data to assess intervention fidelity, reach, context and costs. Government and management changes affected intervention implementation, meaning fidelity was relatively low. There was no active mechanism for ensuring food companies adhered to the voluntary salt reduction targets. Communication activities had wide reach but most activities were one-off, meaning the overall dose was low and impact on behavior limited. Intervention costs were moderate (FJD $277,410 or $0.31 per person) but the strategy relied on multi-sector action which was not fully operationalised. The cyclone also delayed monitoring and likely impacted the results. However, 73% of people surveyed had heard about the campaign and salt reduction policies have been mainstreamed into government programs. Longer-term monitoring of salt intake is planned through future surveys and lessons from this process evaluation will be used to inform future strategies in the Pacific Islands and globally.

Keywords: advocacy; behavior change; capacity building; costs; evaluation; food; hypertension prevention; nutrition; public health policy; salt reduction.

MeSH terms

  • Costs and Cost Analysis
  • Cyclonic Storms
  • Diet, Healthy* / economics
  • Diet, Healthy* / ethnology
  • Diet, Sodium-Restricted* / economics
  • Diet, Sodium-Restricted* / ethnology
  • Fast Foods / adverse effects
  • Fast Foods / analysis
  • Fast Foods / economics
  • Fiji
  • Focus Groups
  • Food Industry / economics
  • Food, Preserved / adverse effects
  • Food, Preserved / analysis
  • Food, Preserved / economics
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice / ethnology
  • Health Plan Implementation* / economics
  • Health Promotion* / economics
  • Humans
  • Hypertension / economics
  • Hypertension / ethnology
  • Hypertension / etiology
  • Hypertension / prevention & control*
  • Information Dissemination
  • Nutrition Surveys / economics
  • Patient Compliance / ethnology
  • Program Evaluation
  • Public-Private Sector Partnerships / economics
  • Sodium Chloride, Dietary / adverse effects*
  • Sodium Chloride, Dietary / analysis

Substances

  • Sodium Chloride, Dietary