SaltSwitch: Helping people with heart disease to eat less salt

Recruiting NIHI
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This study will look to see whether a smartphone application (app) called SaltSwitch can help people with heart disease make lower salt food choices.

We are looking for 300 people aged 40 years and older who live in Auckland with heart disease (this means having been to hospital for a heart event).  The person who does most of the household grocery shopping will also be invited to take part (this can be the same person).  Household grocery shoppers must own a smartphone or mobile device that can download apps.

Because this is a research study people will be randomly allocated (like the toss of a coin) to either the intervention (the SaltSwitch app) or to a control group. The control group will be offered the app at the end of the study.

People with heart disease will be asked to attend two study visits. The first visit will be at the beginning of the study and the second visit will be six weeks later.  People can choose to attend their assessments at the Auckland University clinics in Glen Innes, or at the Auckland Hospital clinics in Grafton.  Household grocery shoppers will be asked collect and send us their till receipts for all household food purchased during the six-week study.  

We will also provide vouchers to reimburse people for their time and travel to attend the study visits and collect the till receipts.

Files

SSwitch Participant Information Sheet
This study is open to and in aged 40 to 110

People with heart disease

  • Have previously been diagnosed with heart disease
  • Be 40yrs or older
  • Be able to provide informed consent
  • Not have suffered a cardiac event in the past three months. This means hospitalised with a heart event such as heart attack.
  • Not have been previously diagnosed with heart failure or severe valve disease
  • Not be on a physician supervised diet or be unwilling to make any dietary changes
  • Not be taking medication that might lead to low blood pressure or build-up of body water such as: frusemide, regular NSAID use, or regular prednisone use
  • Not be planning to take a holiday for more than three days during the next six weeks

Main household shoppers (may be the same person)

  • Be 18 years or older
  • Be able to provide informed consent
  • Own a smartphone  or mobile device that can download apps (or have access to one for the next six weeks) 
  • Not currently use the FoodSwitch smartphone app, or be planning to use it in the next six weeks
  • Shop at least once per week for household food and spend a minimum of $25 per household member per week
  • Willing to make changes to household food purchases
  • Not be planning to take a holiday for more than three days during the next six weeks

 

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