Swap the Salt was launched in June 2014 as part of the Boston REACH Demonstration Project, a three-year agreement funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to reduce health inequities in obesity and hypertension outcomes for Black and Latino communities. The Swap the Salt campaign was made possible through REACH funding along with permission to adopt "Spot the Salt" messaging developed by the Shawnee County Health Agency and Heartland Healthy Neighborhoods, in partnership with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
Hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, is a chronic condition with increasing prevalence in Boston and across the United States. It is closely linked with increased risk for stroke and heart disease.
While hypertension affects people of all backgrounds here in Boston, significant health inequities
exist. Compared to other races, Black adults experience the highest rates of hypertension, followed closely by Latino adults. Individuals from both groups are more likely to develop high blood pressure over the course of their lives and at an earlier age than their White counterparts.
Health inequities exist within hypertension. The frequency of hypertension tends to rise with age, but the rates remain higher across all ages for Latino and Black adults. Black adults especially have the highest rates: they develop hypertension more frequently and at an earlier age than others.
To address racial inequities in health outcomes, the REACH strategies focus in neighborhoods where the majority of Boston’s Black and Latino residents live, including East Boston, Hyde Park, Mattapan, Dorchester, and Roxbury. This is also where the majority of Boston's hypertensive population reside.