Information for participants

Have you been selected to take part in the study? Here, you can find out why we chose you, the reason why your participation is so important, how this study will proceed and what will happen to your data.

The participation of every individual person is important!

Each selected person represents a group of the population. Your participation thus determines whether all the possible population groups will be included in the study.
The final results will be representative for the whole of Switzerland only when all the selected persons take part.
Consequently, we ask you to support this study that is important to us all.

DANKE – MERCI – GRAZIE – THANK YOU
 

Why salt?

For certain persons the elevated consumption of salt on a regular basis may lead to health problems such as high blood pressure or cardiovascular illnesses. It is difficult to find out for whom this is the case. Therefore, it makes more sense to reduce the consumption of salt in the whole population, especially with the aim of obviating these disadvantages for everyone.

What is the aim of this study?

The daily consumption of salt by the adult population in Switzerland can be determined by measuring the amount of salt in the 24-hour urine of the study participants. The obtained data will enable an understanding of the extent to which the consumption of salt has developed since 2010.

Why 24-hour urine?

The 24-hour urine is the most suitable way to determine the salt consumption, because the salt elimination in a whole day can be measured. This is much more accurate than a single, random urine sample.

How does the 24-hour urine collection work?

The aim is that over a 24 hour period you collect your total urine in a urine bottle.
In your first visit to the study centre, an exact explanation will be given to you on how to proceed with the urine collection. The appropriate material for this will be given to you.

 

Who will carry out the study?

The contracting authority of the study is the FSVO. The Centre universitaire de médecine générale et santé publique (Unisanté) and the Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois (CHUV) in Lausanne are carrying out the study in collaboration with the Inselspital Bern, the Universitätsspital Zürich, the Regionalen Spital Bellinzona and the Universität Fribourg.

Who may take part in the study?

Naturally, it is not feasible to measure the salt consumption of every adult living in Switzerland. Therefore, a certain number of persons will be selected who represent the various population groups. This will provide an as accurate as possible image of the total adult population of Switzerland.

How were you selected?

Have you received a letter of invitation? If yes, then you belong to the selected persons and have the option to take part in the study. They were selected in order to create a cross-section of the Swiss population and thus to better understand how much salt certain population groups consume.
The possible participants in the study were chosen by the Federal Statistics Office (FSO) on the basis of the register of residents.

Is the participation obligatory?

Participation is voluntary and free of charge. You will not be penalised if you decide not to take part in the study.

Will you receive compensation?

As a token of gratitude for their highly appreciated cooperation, all participants receive a small present.

Where will the study be carried out?

A total of four study centres will be installed in the CHUV hospital in Lausanne, the Insel hospital in Bern, the University of Zurich hospital and the regional hospital Bellinzona.

Which physical measurements will be carried out in the study centre?

Your blood pressure, body size, weight and waist size will be measured during your first visit in the study centre. Your blood pressure will be measured again during your second visit in the study centre. The results of the blood pressure measurements will be averaged.

What happens to your urine?

Sodium, potassium, chloride, creatinine and iodine will be measured in the urine samples.
A small quantity of the anonymised urine sample will also be frozen and serves as a sample material for further analyses.
Both this study and also all further studies, which use this sample material, require authorisation from the National Ethics Commission.

How long does it take to fill out the questionnaire?

It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to fill out the web-based questionnaire about your lifestyle, your dietary habits and your physical activity.

Why is this questionnaire required?

The answers will allow a more accurate evaluation of the salt consumption. In addition, the questions are such that their answers may be compared with those of previous studies, thereby facilitating a more exact analysis over several years.

What happens to your data?

Only selected co-workers of the study have access to your personal data. They are subject to the obligation of professional secrecy.
All data for the analyses are anonymised, i.e. only the gender, age and place of residence of the participants of the study are known, together with the answers to the questionnaire and the results of the laboratory measurements. This information is made available to the researchers for the analyses.
Generally, the analyses are made for whole groups at the population level (e.g. according to gender or age group). Thus, any inference to the individual person is not possible.

Will the participants be informed of their personal results of the laboratory analyses?

Yes, all participants will be informed of their personal laboratory results at the end of the study.  

Questions?

Should you, as a participant in the study, have questions with regard to sample collection, appointment time, etc., please contact the allocated study centre directly.

Last modification 03.07.2023