TABLE 2.
Distribution of usual daily sodium intake among US adults aged ≥20 y: NHANES 2003–20081
| Usual sodium intake |
||||||
| Category | No. of subjects | 25th Percentile | Median | 75th Percentile | Subjects consuming ≥1500 mg/d | Subjects consuming≥2300 mg/d |
| mg/d | mg/d | mg/d | % | % | ||
| All | 12,581 | 2794 (2744, 2844) | 3371 (3318, 3424) | 4029 (3967, 4091) | 99.4 (99.3, 99.5) | 90.7 (89.6, 91.8) |
| Age | ||||||
| 20–30 y | 2161 | 3079 (2959, 3199) | 3697 (3567, 3827) | 4394 (4249, 4539) | 99.8 (99.7, 99.9) | 95.0 (93.4, 96.5) |
| 31–50 y | 4240 | 3002 (2932, 3072) | 3625 (3548, 3702) | 4341 (4245, 4437) | 99.7 (99.5, 99.8) | 93.8 (92.7, 95.0) |
| 51–70 y | 3915 | 2611 (2547, 2675) | 3153 (3079, 3227) | 3775 (3685, 3865) | 99.2 (99.0, 99.4) | 86.6 (84.8, 88.5) |
| ≥71 y | 2265 | 2171 (2115, 2227) | 2592 (2522, 2662) | 3076 (2985, 3167) | 97.5 (96.9, 98.0) | 67.7 (64.1, 71.2) |
| Sex | ||||||
| Male | 6379 | 3326 (3267, 3385) | 4008 (3941, 4075) | 4787 (4703, 4871) | 99.9 (99.8, 99.9) | 96.9 (96.4, 97.4) |
| Female | 6202 | 2357 (2316, 2398) | 2836 (2790, 2882) | 3382 (3324, 3440) | 98.2 (97.9, 98.6) | 77.6 (75.8, 79.5) |
| Race-ethnicity2 | ||||||
| Non-Hispanic white | 6435 | 2864 (2802, 2926) | 3423 (3360, 3487) | 4059 (3987, 4131) | 99.7 (99.6, 99.8) | 92.5 (91.4, 93.7) |
| Non-Hispanic black | 2551 | 2587 (2494, 2680) | 3161 (3053, 3269) | 3820 (3688, 3952) | 98.7 (98.2, 99.3) | 85.2 (82.5, 88.0) |
| Mexican American | 2357 | 2632 (2527, 2737) | 3251 (3131, 3371) | 3954 (3808, 4100) | 98.6 (98.1, 99.1) | 85.9 (83.1, 88.7) |
| Household income3 | ||||||
| ≤130% Federal poverty index | 3317 | 2507 (2420, 2594) | 3115 (3014, 3216) | 3831 (3708, 3954) | 98.0 (97.5, 98.6) | 82.4 (79.7, 85.1) |
| >130% Federal poverty index | 8497 | 2893 (2845, 2941) | 3447 (3391, 3503) | 4076 (4006, 4146) | 99.7 (99.6, 99.8) | 93.2 (92.3, 94.0) |
| Education | ||||||
| <12 y | 3620 | 2452 (2372, 2532) | 3040 (2945, 3135) | 3723 (3602, 3844) | 97.8 (97.2, 98.4) | 80.7 (77.9, 83.4) |
| 12 y or GED | 3108 | 2783 (2716, 2850) | 3351 (3273, 3429) | 3996 (3898, 4094) | 99.5 (99.3, 99.6) | 90.7 (89.2, 92.1) |
| >12 y | 5853 | 2939 (2878, 3000) | 3489 (3424, 3554) | 4116 (4050, 4182) | 99.8 (99.7, 99.8) | 94.1 (93.3, 95.0) |
| BMI | ||||||
| <18.5 kg/m2 | 189 | 2446 (2130, 2762) | 3065 (2759, 3371) | 3763 (3336, 4190) | —4 | 80.1 (69.2, 90.9) |
| 18.5–24.9 kg/m2 | 3547 | 2784 (2708, 2860) | 3361 (3280, 3442) | 4033 (3937, 4129) | 99.4 (99.3, 99.6) | 90.6 (88.8, 92.4) |
| 25.0–29.9 kg/m2 | 4405 | 2788 (2725, 2852) | 3315 (3245, 3385) | 3910 (3830, 3990) | 99.6 (99.4, 99.7) | 91.4 (90.0, 92.8) |
| ≥30.0 kg/m2 | 4440 | 2847 (2769, 2925) | 3453 (3369, 3537) | 4138 (4038, 4238) | 99.4 (99.2, 99.5) | 91.3 (89.7, 92.8) |
| Hypertension status5 | ||||||
| Hypertension | 4867 | 2583 (2504, 2662) | 3121 (3028, 3214) | 3740 (3627, 3853) | 99.1 (98.8, 99.4) | 85.7 (83.3, 88.1) |
| Prehypertension | 3228 | 2991 (2907, 3075) | 3596 (3493, 3699) | 4286 (4169, 4403) | 99.7 (99.5, 99.8) | 93.9 (92.3, 95.4) |
| No hypertension | 4486 | 2857 (2774, 2940) | 3430 (3347, 3513) | 4082 (3987, 4177) | 99.6 (99.5, 99.7) | 92.1 (90.7, 93.6) |
| Diabetes diagnosis6 | ||||||
| Yes | 1471 | 2537 (2455, 2619) | 3071 (2977, 3165) | 3681 (3562, 3800) | 98.9 (98.4, 99.3) | 84.2 (81.4, 87.0) |
| No | 11,110 | 2821 (2771, 2871) | 3399 (3345, 3453) | 4058 (3995, 4121) | 99.5 (99.4, 99.6) | 91.3 (90.2, 92.4) |
| Chronic kidney disease7 | ||||||
| Yes | 2546 | 2397 (2323, 2471) | 2891 (2809, 2973) | 3471 (3375, 3567) | 98.5 (98.0, 98.9) | 79.4 (76.2, 82.5) |
| No | 10,035 | 2870 (2819, 2921) | 3457 (3401, 3513) | 4127 (4062, 4192) | 99.6 (99.4, 99.7) | 92.1 (91.1, 93.1) |
Medians, IQRs, and proportions ≥1500 and ≥2300 mg/d and 95% CIs for all measures (in parentheses) were estimated from Software for Intake Distribution Estimation for the Windows Operating System (Department of Statistics, Iowa State University) with jackknife replicate weights and were adjusted for interview method (in person or by phone), day of the week, age (continuous), sex, and race-ethnicity as possible. Sample sizes are unweighted. Pregnant women and individuals missing data on sodium intakes and covariates were excluded. GED, general equivalency diploma.
Categories do not add up to total because “other race-ethnicity” was not included.
Family income was defined as total household income divided by the poverty threshold for the year of the interview multiplied by 100.
Does not meet standard of statistical reliability, relative SE >40%.
Hypertension was defined as a mean systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg, a mean diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg, or self-reported use of antihypertensive medication (25, 26). Prehypertension was defined as a mean systolic blood pressure 120–139 mm Hg or a mean diastolic blood pressure 80–89 mm Hg (26). Normal blood pressure was defined as a mean systolic blood pressure <120 mm Hg and a mean diastolic blood pressure <80 mm Hg. Mean blood pressure was estimated from up to 3 readings on a single occasion.
Diabetes was defined by self-reported diagnosis by a health care provider.