Avoidance of dietary sodium--a simple questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Dietary Assessment
• Clinical Research

Background:

• Patients on low-sodium diets require intensive counseling and progress monitoring.
• Urinary tests can detect high sodium intake, but not the specific dietary sources.
• Detailed patient questioning is necessary to identify the origins of high sodium consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a sodium-intake checklist as a tool for dietary assessment.
• To investigate if the checklist can effectively replace traditional urinary sodium tests.
• To provide a practical method for managing patients on sodium-restricted diets.

Main Methods:

• Development of a 21-question sodium-intake checklist based on a three-day dietary recall.
• Assessment of checklist reliability using Cronbach's alpha coefficient in college students.
• Comparison of checklist scores with urinary sodium excretion rates in a low-sodium advisory service cohort.

Main Results:

• The checklist demonstrated normal score distribution and internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.75) in 190 college students.
• Scores significantly differed (P < 0.001) between the general student population and individuals attending a low-sodium service.
• A significant correlation (r = 0.701) was found between checklist scores and urinary sodium excretion rates.

Conclusions:

• The developed sodium-intake checklist is a reliable and useful tool for assessing dietary sodium consumption.
• The checklist can serve as an adjunct or alternative to urinary testing in routine clinical practice for patients on sodium-restricted diets.
• This simple questionnaire aids in managing patients' dietary behavior effectively.