Table 2.
Characteristics of the participants (N = 688)
| Total population (N = 688) | Community residents (n = 380) | Supermarket shoppers (n = 308) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (Male), % | 31.2 | 26.3** | 37.3 |
| Age (year), mean ± SD | 39.9 ± 15.0 | 42.5 ± 16.1** | 36.7 ± 12.7 |
| Educational level, % | |||
| Junior high school or below | 18.6 | 13.9** | 24.4 |
| High or technical school | 25.7 | 23.9 | 27.9 |
| Junior college | 16.3 | 16.1 | 16.6 |
| Undergraduate | 29.8 | 35.5 | 22.7 |
| Graduate or above | 9.6 | 10.5 | 8.4 |
| Household monthly income (Yuan) per capita, % | |||
| ≤ 5000 | 59.7 | 57.4** | 62.7 |
| 50,001–10,000 | 26.3 | 31.6 | 19.8 |
| 10,0001–20,000 | 10.6 | 7.6 | 14.3 |
| ≥ 20,0001 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.2 |
| BMI (kg/m2), mean ± SD | 23.1 ± 3.2 | 23.2 ± 3.2 | 23.1 ± 3.2 |
| Existing health problems, % | |||
| Hypertension | 51.6 | 55.0* | 47.4 |
| Cardiovascular disease | 40.8 | 43.4 | 37.7 |
| Chronic kidney disease | 12.4 | 13.4 | 11.0 |
| Knowledge, attitude and behavior towards salt intake | |||
| Know recommended daily salt intake, % | 69.3 | 72.6* | 65.3 |
| Score of attitude towards salt intake, mean ± SD a | 66.1 ± 19.9 | 68.2 ± 19.5** | 63.6 ± 20.1 |
| Salt reduction behavior, % b | 67.9 | 73.9** | 60.4 |
* p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01 when compared between community residents and supermarket shoppers
a The attitude towards salt intake was assessed by calculating the score of the participants’ answers to three questions and translated into 100 points
b The behavior of usually controlling the salt intake in daily life