• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.578-588
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• 2008

The objective of this study was to evaluate associations of dietary sodium (Na) intake with salt-related dietary behaviors of 218 university students (95 men; 123 women) living in Gyeonggi area. Dish frequency questionnaire (DFQ) was used to identify salt-related dietary behaviors and to determine Na intakes. In men, systolic & diastolic blood pressures, Na intakes and DFQ-15 scores were significantly higher than in women. High-salt intake group (HS), classified by DFQ-15, had higher scores of high-salt dietary attitude and more Na intakes than low-salt intake group (LS). HS took protein foods and had balanced diets less frequently than LS (p<0.05). HS had fried dishes & fatty meats, and added salt to dishes more frequently (p<0.05). HS and LS had differences in preference of soy-boiled and Chinese or Japanese foods, in intake frequency of bean-paste soup, in use of soy sauce with fried food or raw fish, and in salt addition to dishes at the table (p<0.05). HS, classified by Na intakes, had high-salt dietary attitudes such as preference of seasoned rice & soy-boiled foods and habitual addition of soy sauce or salt to dishes at the table. The subjects using food labels when purchasing had better salt-related attitudes & behaviors, and lower DFQ-15 scores & Na intakes than the non-users (p<0.01). Self-assessed HS (SHS) had worse salt-related attitudes and behaviors (p<0.05). Male self-assessed LS (SLS) had higher Na intakes, which indicated that self-assessment of salt preference did not actually reflect Na intake. In summary, male university students belonged to a high-risk group of salt intakes, and HS preferred soy-boiled foods or fatty dishes, frequently added salt to dishes and rarely had balanced diets. These results suggest that nutrition education programs for university students should include fundamental dietetics and a balanced diet, in addition to a low-Na diet.