Salt usage behaviors are related to urinary sodium excretion in normotensive Korean adults

High sodium intake is considered to be the major risk factor for hypertension but studies about sodium intake on prevention and management of hypertension is limited due to the difficulties in assessment of sodium intake. Dietary sodium comes not only from naturally occurring sodium in foods but also from the added sodium during processing, cooking and at the table. Present study was conducted to identify salt usage behavior questions related to urinary sodium excretion among normotensive adult Koreans. The test version of the salt usage questionnaire included six items of salt usage behaviors and nine items of high salt containing foods. A survey was conducted in 189 adults over 18 years of age in three age groups in both genders. Each participant answered the questionnaire and collected one 24-hour urine and urine samples were analyzed for sodium contents. Correlation analyses between scores of the questions and sodium excretion in 24-hour urine were performed to identify question items related to sodium excretion. Among fifteen questions, scores of three questions on salt usage behaviors were significantly correlated to urinary sodium excretion (r=0.17~0.19; p <0.05) and the sum of scores of the three questions showed higher correlation coefficients. (r=0.26, p <0.001) The salt usage behavior questions developed in this study would be useful in predicting sodium intake and in studying the relationship between sodium intake and health among Korean adults.