Table 2.
Participants’ current approaches to limiting sodium consumption and barriers to limiting sodium intake
| Total % | Age | Gender | Ethnicity | Education | Knowledge score | Behaviour score | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21–39 years % |
40–59 years % |
≥ 60 years % |
P | Male % | Female % | P | Chinese % | Malay % | Indian % | P | Secondary school and below % | Post-secondary school % | University degree and above % | P | Mean | sd | P | Mean | sd | P | ||
| Which of the following best describes your approach to Na consumption? (n 955)† | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Currently trying to Na /Have tried limiting Na | 59·1 | 33·3 | 63·7 | 82·0 | ** | 54·5 | 63·5 | * | 58·2 | 57·6 | 73·5 | 75·5 | 58·3 | 47·6 | ** | 4·2 | 1·7 | 6·3 | 1·9 | ** | ||
| Not limiting Na | 40·9 | 66·7 | 36·3 | 18·0 | 45·5 | 36·5 | 41·9 | 42·4 | 26·5 | 24·5 | 41·7 | 52·4 | 4·3 | 1·7 | 4·2 | 1·8 | ||||||
| Challenges faced when limiting Na intake (n 538)‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Food does not taste as good if Na is reduced | 59·4 | 55·7 | 60·2 | 60·3 | 55·6 | 62·5 | 59·9 | 61·2 | 66·3 | 65·9 | 56·3 | 56·5 | ||||||||||
| I do not know how to limit Na intake | 22·3 | 23·4 | 26·2 | 17·0 | 28·7 | 17·2 | ** | 22·1 | 19·8 | 20·4 | 22·1 | 19·8 | 20·4 | |||||||||
| I do not have enough time to prepare food | 19·4 | 38·8 | 17·5 | 12·7 | ** | 16·7 | 21·6 | 20·3 | 14·5 | 18·8 | 11·7 | 21·7 | 25·3 | * | ||||||||
| I lack the willpower to do so | 9·3 | 12·4 | 10·3 | 6·6 | 11·7 | 7·4 | 10·7 | 1·9 | 11·1 | 8·9 | 8·3 | 11·4 | ||||||||||
| No challenges reported | 4·1 | 3·2 | 0·4 | 9·1 | ** | 3·4 | 4·7 | 1·8 | 19·0 | 4·1 | ** | 7·2 | 3·2 | 1·6 | ||||||||
| Reasons for not limiting Na intake (n 417)§ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Food does not taste as good if Na is reduced | 43·3 | 46·2 | 43·0 | 31·5 | 44·8 | 41·5 | 42·3 | 52·4 | 47·6 | 32·2 | 46·3 | 44·1 | ||||||||||
| I am in good overall health | 36·8 | 39·8 | 30·5 | 44·0 | 35·0 | 38·9 | 38·7 | 27·7 | 40·5 | 23·1 | 30·3 | 48·5 | ** | |||||||||
| I do not know how to limit Na intake | 32·7 | 39·9 | 26·3 | 22·1 | * | 35·2 | 29·7 | 32·3 | 37·8 | 25·3 | 34·7 | 34·1 | 30·5 | |||||||||
| I do not really care that much | 20·0 | 23·0 | 19·3 | 9·3 | 26·1 | 12·8 | ** | 18·4 | 26·8 | 15·4 | 12·6 | 23·0 | 19·6 | |||||||||
| I do not have enough time to prepare food | 17·9 | 22·8 | 14·5 | 7·6 | 19·5 | 16·0 | 18·3 | 23·8 | 6·4 | 9·3 | 19·1 | 19·8 | ||||||||||
| I lack the willpower to do so | 18·5 | 19·3 | 20·2 | 9·3 | 18·3 | 18·7 | 17·6 | 22·9 | 11·1 | 20·0 | 19·5 | 16·8 | ||||||||||
| I do not need as I am on blood pressure medication | 4·6 | 3·9 | 4·6 | 8·0 | 6·7 | 2·2 | 1·5 | 19·9 | 6·4 | ** | 3·2 | 8·6 | 1·0 | ** | ||||||||
a,b,cMean values within a column with unlike superscript letters were significantly different (P < 0·05).
*
P < 0·05.
**
P < 0·01.
†
n 927 for Ethnicity, excluding responses from ‘Other’ ethnicity.
‡
n 524 for Ethnicity, excluding responses from ‘Other’ ethnicity.
§
n 403 for Ethnicity, excluding responses from ‘Other’ ethnicity.