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. 2015 Sep 2;19(7):1327–1335. doi: 10.1017/S1368980015002530

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