Relationship between Nutritional Status and Family History of Hypertension with Salt Taste Threshold in Adolescents in Demak Regency, Indonesia

Demak is one of the regencies with highest prevalence of hypertension in Indonesia. The aim of the study was to evaluate the relationship between nutritional status and family history of hypertension with salt taste thresholds in adolescents in Demak Regency. The cross-sectional design was used with 100 adolescents in two high schools in the Demak Regency. Adolescent nutritional status based on BMI-for-age was obtained from anthropometric measurement. The history of family hypertension was obtained from interviews using a questionnaire. The threshold test of salt taste was carried using 6 concentration salt solution, were 4 mmol/L, 6 mmol/L, 8 mmol/L, 10 mmol/L, 12 mmol/L, and 14 mmol/L. Data were tested using Spearman correlation to determine the relationship between variables. The results showed that there was no significant relationship between nutritional status and family history of hypertension with salt taste threshold in adolescents (p = 0.088 and p = 0.485, respectively), but the value of correlation coefficient showed a positive direction. Adolescents with a history of family hypertension showed a high threshold value of salt taste compared to adolescents who did not have a family history of hypertension. Furthermore, adolescents with overweight and obesity status indicated to have high salt taste thresholds.