CIS Network of Institutes for Public Health and Healthcare Digital Transformation Meeting

The meeting was attended by representatives of the CIS countries, as well as representatives of leading institutes and centers of the Russian Federation in the field of nutrition, healthy lifestyle and endocrinology.

The Interstate Network of Institutes for Public Health and Healthcare Digital Transformation of the Commonwealth of Independent States held a meeting on July 4, 2023 on the topic "Reducing the spread of excessive and irrational diet with high salt content among the population in the CIS member states". Meeting members discussed such topics as national surveys on excessive salt intake and national programs to reduce salt intake.

The Republic of Belarus was represented by Vitaly Pisarik, Head of the Laboratory of Healthcare Organizational Technologies of the Republican Scientific and Practical Center for Medical Technologies, Informatization, Management and Economics of Healthcare of the Ministry of Health of Belarus. Vitaly Pisarik presented data on salt consumption in the Republic of Belarus based on the results of STEPS surveys in 2016 and in 2020 and highlighted the main measures to reduce harm from excessive salt consumption.

From the Republic of Kazakhstan, Zhanar Kalmakova, Board Chair of the National Center for Public Health of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Kazakhstan, made a presentation. She told about the situation with salt consumption in Kazakhstan and policy measures to reduce salt consumption in the country.

Asiya Imaeva, Head of the Epidemiology Department of the National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine of the Ministry of Health of Russia, told about the prevalence of excessive salt consumption among adults in the Russian Federation based on a study conducted by the Center, and presented measures to reduce salt consumption in Russia. Elena Smirnova, Head of the Laboratory of Nutrition Demography and Epidemiology of the Federal Research Center for Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety, presented data on the average per capita consumption of added salt with food in the Russian Federation, the results of a joint project with the WHO ERB FEEDcities to monitor the sodium content in industrially produced foods, as well as Russia's experience in reducing the consumption of major nutrients.

Antonina Starodubova, Deputy Director for Research and Clinical Work of the Federal Research Center for Nutrition, Biotechnology and Food Safety, told about existing methods of assessing salt intake. Darya Khalturina, Head of RIH Department of Risk Factor Prevention and Communication Technologies in Healthcare, presented an overview of international studies on effective interventions to reduce salt intake.

The Republic of Tajikistan was represented by Orzu Rakhmonaliev, Head of the Hygiene Department of the Tajik Research Institute of Preventive Medicine. Orzu Rakhmonaliev told about the results of STEPS survey conducted in the country in 2017 to determine the prevalence of behavioral risk factors for NCDs among adult population in the Republic of Tajikistan, as well as about the legal framework for promoting healthy eating and NCD prevention among Tajikistan population.

Ismailov Abdurahmon, Chief Specialist of the Committee of Sanitary-Epidemiological Welfare and Public Health of Uzbekistan, participated in the meeting on behalf of the Republic of Uzbekistan. The expert presented the results of STEPS survey conducted in the country in 2014 and 2019 and told about measures to control excessive salt consumption among Uzbekistan population, including food labeling.

The Republic of Uzbekistan was also represented by Feruza Takhirova, Deputy Director of the Center for Supporting Healthy Lifestyle and Increasing Physical Activity of the Population of the Ministry of Health of Uzbekistan. Feruza Takhirova thanked the participants of the event, stressed the importance of raised problem and noted the high level of meeting organization.

Zharkynbek Kasymbekov, Head of the National Institute of Public Health under the Ministry of Health of the Kyrgyz Republic, Chairman of the Governing Council of the CIS Network of Institutes for Public Health and Healthcare Digital Transformation took part in the event on behalf of the Kyrgyz Republic. Zharkynbek Kasymbekov presented the results of STEPS survey on epidemiologic surveillance of risk factors for non-communicable diseases in the Republic, which was conducted in 2013, and the FEEDcities project, implemented in 2017, and told about the ways to prevent NCDs and excessive salt consumption.

Zharkynbek Orozbekovich noted the general importance of excessive salt consumption problem for all CIS countries and quoted the Soviet and Kyrgyz writer Chingiz Aitmatov: "The most difficult thing for a Man is to be a Man every day", thus noting how difficult it is for us to follow correct and useful principles every day to stay healthy. The Chairman also drew attention to the fact that children should be inculcated with proper dietary habits from an early age to preserve health of future generations.

"High salt consumption (more than 5 g daily) leads to high blood pressure, which is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and a cause of death", Kasymbekov noted in his speech.