Table 4.
Views on sodium content in foods when eating out and low sodium food products
| Question† | Total % | Age | Gender | Ethnicity (n 927) | 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 | ||
| Most foods available when eating out (e.g. restaurants, food courts and cafes) are high in Na or salt. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Agree | 83·4 | 81·2 | 80·8 | 90·0 | 82·4 | 84·3 | 87·0 | 65·1 | 83·6 | ** | 80·6 | 81·0 | 88·5 | 4·3 | 1·7a | ** | 5·5 | 2·1 | ||||
| Neither | 12·9 | 14·9 | 15·9 | 5·9 | 13·6 | 12·3 | 9·9 | 27·9 | 14·6 | 16·0 | 15·3 | 7·6 | 3·4 | 1·7b | 5·1 | 1·9 | ||||||
| Disagree | 3·7 | 3·9 | 3·3 | 4·1 | 4·0 | 3·4 | 3·1 | 7·1 | 1·8 | 3·4 | 3·7 | 3·9 | 4·9 | 1·5a | 5·1 | 1·9 | ||||||
| When eating out (e.g. restaurants, food courts and cafes), I find that lower Na options are not readily available or only in limited variety. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Agree | 78·6 | 74·9 | 76·6 | 86·1 | 76·0 | 81·0 | 81·7 | 63·8 | 77·4 | * | 79·2 | 75·9 | 81·5 | 4·4 | 1·6a | ** | 5·6 | 2·2a | ** | |||
| Neither | 16·7 | 19·1 | 19·1 | 10·0 | 17·8 | 15·7 | 13·4 | 31·6 | 20·8 | 14·9 | 19·8 | 14·0 | 3·5 | 1·8b | 4·9 | 1·8b | ||||||
| Disagree | 4·7 | 6·0 | 4·3 | 3·9 | 6·2 | 3·3 | 4·9 | 4·7 | 1·9 | 5·9 | 4·3 | 4·5 | 4·7 | 1·6a | 5·4 | 2·0 | ||||||
| There should be laws which limit the amount of Na added to manufactured foods. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Agree | 64·1 | 54·0 | 62·2 | 79·0 | ** | 62·8 | 65·3 | 64·6 | 57·4 | 67·2 | 66·5 | 62·3 | 64·6 | 4·4 | 1·7a | ** | 5·8 | 2·1a | ** | |||
| Neither | 25·0 | 31·2 | 27·8 | 13·3 | 25·1 | 25·0 | 25·5 | 27·7 | 22·7 | 25·6 | 26·3 | 22·9 | 3·8 | 1·6b | 5·0 | 2·0b | ||||||
| Disagree | 10·9 | 14·8 | 10·0 | 7·7 | 12·1 | 9·8 | 9·9 | 14·9 | 10·2 | 7·9 | 11·4 | 12·5 | 4·5 | 1·8a | 4·5 | 1·8b | ||||||
| It is hard to find lower Na options for cooking.‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Agree | 31·3 | 31·5 | 29·4 | 33·9 | 29·9 | 32·6 | ** | 31·4 | 30·4 | 36·7 | 27·1 | 31·7 | 33·9 | 4·4 | 1·7a | ** | 5·5 | 2·2a | ** | |||
| Neither | 39·7 | 38·3 | 43·6 | 35·2 | 46·7 | 33·0 | 37·2 | 54·9 | 36·5 | 42·7 | 44·0 | 31·7 | 3·8 | 1·7b | 5·2 | 2·0a | ||||||
| Disagree | 29·0 | 30·3 | 26·9 | 31·0 | 23·4 | 34·4 | 31·4 | 14·7 | 26·9 | 30·3 | 24·3 | 34·5 | 4·6 | 1·7a | 6·1 | 2·1b | ||||||
| Lower Na options are more expensive.‡ | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Agree | 34·3 | 38·7 | 32·7 | 32·4 | 29·8 | 38·6 | * | 33·2 | 43·3 | 30·5 | 33·2 | 32·9 | 37·0 | 4·4 | 1·7 | 5·2 | 2·2a | ** | ||||
| Neither | 43·4 | 40·7 | 48·0 | 39·0 | 43·2 | 43·6 | 42·7 | 41·9 | 50·2 | 43·9 | 43·7 | 42·5 | 4·1 | 1·7 | 5·6 | 2·0 | ||||||
| Disagree | 22·4 | 20·7 | 19·4 | 28·7 | 27·0 | 17·9 | 24·1 | 14·9 | 19·3 | 23·0 | 23·4 | 20·5 | 4·4 | 1·7 | 5·9 | 2·3b | ||||||
a,b,cMean values within a column with unlike superscript letters were significantly different (P < 0·05).
*
P < 0·05.
**
P < 0·01.
†
Responses aggregated into three categories: ‘Agree’ includes strongly and somewhat agree, and ‘Disagree’ includes strongly and somewhat disagree.
‡
n 817 for all variables except ethnicity (n 794) due to missing responses.