Table 2.

Declarative salt knowledge and salt beliefs among the sample of Irish consumers (n 501), November 2014

	n	%
Which of the following do you think is the main source of salt in the diet of Irish people?
Salt added during preparation or cooking at home	63	12·6
Salt added at the table	111	22·2
Salt in processed foods such as breads, breakfast cereals, tinned foods, ready meals and takeaways	324	64·7
Salt in restaurant foods	1	0·2
Don’t know	2	0·4
Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between salt and sodium?
They are exactly the same	174	34·7
Salt contains sodium	221	44·1
Sodium contains salt	29	5·8
Don’t know	77	15·4
What is the maximum level of salt per day that a healthy Irish adult is recommended to consume?
0–2 g	94	18·8
3–5 g	120	24·0
6 g	50	10·0
7–9 g	10	2·0
10–19 g	37	7·4
20+ g	49	9·8
Don’t know	141	28·1
Awareness of Irish salt reduction programme
Yes	59	11·8
No	441	88·2
Interest in reducing salt intake
I am not at all interested in lowering salt in my diet and I have no intention of doing so in the next 6 months	119	23·8
I am interested in lowering salt in my diet and…
…I have the intention of doing that within the next 6 months	131	26·2
…I have the intention of doing that within the next month	57	11·3
…I have started lowering my salt intake during the last 6 months	57	11·3
…I have already lowered my salt intake for longer than 6 months	137	27·4