*2.2. Anthropometric Measurements*

Body weight and height were measured for each participant and their body mass index (BMI) was calculated as weight (kg) divided by height (m) squared (kg/m2). Height was recorded to the nearest 1 cm using a stadiometer (Seca Stadiometer, Seca Ltd., Birmingham, UK) and weight was recorded using a balance (Biospace Co., Seoul, Korea) to the nearest 0.1 kg having removed their shoes and heaviest clothing. An appropriately trained member of the research team took all the measurements [20].

#### *2.3. Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) Questionnaire*

Participants were asked to complete a self-reported questionnaire. The questionnaire assessed knowledge relating to salt and health outcomes, frequency of consumption and their perceived salt consumption, and was developed according to the WHO/PAHO recommendations for the assessment of population sodium intake and behaviors. The development and performance of the specific questionnaire has been described elsewhere [21].

#### *2.4. 24-h Urine Collections and Analysis*

A single timed 24-h urine collection was obtained for the estimation of sodium excretion. Participants were given written and verbal instructions for the 24-h urine collection procedure. A 3-L coded plastic bottle was given to each participant for urine collection. Participants were asked to discard the first urine of the day and to collect all urine in the plastic bottle provided over the following 24-h. Participants were also asked to write on a separate sheet the time and date at the start and end of the urine collection, indicating occasions they missed urination. Urine samples with less than 500 mL or those who missed urine collection were rejected and participants were asked to repeat the process on another day.

Urine analysis for sodium, potassium and creatinine were conducted in the College of Food and Agriculture laboratories at UAEU. For the measurement of sodium and potassium levels in the urine, 50 mL of the urine sample was mixed with 200 μL of 1% nitric acid. Analytical solutions were introduced to a Varian ICP-OES model 710-ES spectrometer for sodium and potassium measurements [18]. Urinary creatinine was measured using a Cary 50 MPR Micro plate Reader-Varian and the concentration determined using a standard curve [22].
