Abstract

Salt is the main source of sodium in the diet. A small amount of salt is important for good health; it helps to maintain the correct fluid and electrolyte balance in the body. However, most people consume much more sodium than they need for good health. Salt consumption has increased nowadays and most of the sodium we eat comes from packaged, processed, store-bought, ready-to-eat and restaurants. There is health risks associated with high salt intake, including high blood pressure in sensitive individuals. A cross-sectional study was carried out to evaluate the reported daily consumption of salt among Mauritian adults and to know their attitudes towards salt consumption and its recommended daily intake. Awareness of the local recommendations of salt to be consumed per day based upon the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations was also investigated. The study was carried out among 300 respondents chosen at random, in a wide variety of settings to ensure maximum representation of the Mauritian adult population. The respondents were aged between 30 and 60 years old and consisted of both males and females. A survey-based questionnaire was designed to carry out the investigation, and the results obtained were interpreted and analysed using the Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS 20.0). From the results obtained, it was found that 51.3% of the respondents were aware of the local daily salt intake recommendation, and reported putting 1 teaspoon (5grams) of salt, as per the recommendations, during their food preparation. 85.7% of the respondents also found this recommendation adequate. However, another 27.4% of respondents were neither aware of the fact that 1 teaspoon of salt is the daily recommended amount to be consumed nor did they consume the 5 grams of salt as recommended. Furthermore, the food frequency questionnaire included in the survey revealed to us that the consumption of highly salted processed foods such as fast foods/ready-toeat foods and canned foods was quite high among the respondents. Therefore, the study demonstrates that nutrition education programmes need to be set up so as to raise awareness on the importance of salt in the diet. More particularly on its recommended daily intake for good health as well as on the risks associated with excessive intake of highly salted processed foods given that we have noted in our study that it is the consumption of processed salty foods which is the major culprit.