Sodium intake is high in Lebanon, a country of the Middle East region where rates of cardiovascular diseases are amongst the highest in the world. This study examines salt-related knowledge, attitude and self-reported behaviors amongst adult Lebanese consumers and investigates the association of socio-demographic factors, knowledge and attitudes with salt-related behaviors. Using a multicomponent questionnaire, a cross-sectional study was conducted in nine supermarkets in Beirut, based on systematic random sampling (n = 442). Factors associated with salt-related behaviors were examined by multivariate regression analysis. Specific knowledge and attitude gaps were documented with only 22.6% of participants identifying processed foods as the main source of salt, 55.6% discerning the relationship between salt and sodium, 32.4% recognizing the daily limit of salt intake and 44.7% reporting being concerned about the amount of salt in their diet. The majority of participants reported behavioral practices that increase salt intake with only 38.3% checking for salt label content, 43.7% reporting that their food purchases are influenced by salt content and 38.6% trying to buy low-salt foods. Knowledge, attitudes and older age were found to significantly predict salt-related behaviors. Findings offer valuable insight on salt-related knowledge, attitude and behaviors in a sample of Lebanese consumers and provide key information that could spur the development of evidence-based salt-reduction interventions specific to the Middle East.

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The primary objective of this study is to analyze the most up-to-date evidence regarding whether and how blood sugar regulation impacts cardiovascular health promotion and disease prevention by carrying out an umbrella review. Three separate, systematic literature searches identified a total of 2,343 articles. Overall, 44 studies were included for data extraction and analysis. The included systematic reviews and meta-analyses published between 1 January 2016 and 31 December 2017 were of good to very good quality (median OQAQ score = 17). Identified evidence suggests that cardiovascular prevention services should consider the regulation of blood glucose as a key target for intervention. Furthermore, CV prevention should adopt the recommendations for effective intervention and service development/training described in this review in existing evidence-based practice guidelines. Multidisciplinary teams should be formed to deliver multi-component interventions in community-based settings. There may be substantial opportunities for integrating CVD prevention and diabetes prevention services.

The overall prevalence of CVD risk factors in this urban population is higher than reported in the 2010 World Health Organization Stepwise Approach to Surveillance report on the Lebanese population, indicating that the urban population in the capital carries a higher burden of CVD risk. In addition, sex and age difference rates of CVD risk factors highlight the need for tailored public health measures to tackle the sex- and age-based CVD risk factors.