Preferences, attitudes and personality as determinants of salt intake

Thirty-six female subjects took part in a study involving using pre-weighed table and cooking salt pots, along with complete urine collections for 7 days. Urinary sodium excretion was determined, and was used as an estimate of sodium (salt) intake. Other measures taken were, most preferred concentration of salt in soup, blood pressure, body weight and height, along with questionnaires on general food preferences, attitudes to adding table salt to foods, and the Eysenck Personality Inventory (EPI). Table salt (7 per cent) and cooking salt (8 per cent) were found to account for only a small proportion of total sodium intake, the major part (89 per cent) being from non-discretionary salt present in foods. Subjects, divided on the basis of table salt use and total intake, were found to differ in the most preferred concentration of salt in soup, but not in their sensitivity to variations from their ideal. Table salt use was predicted very well by the individual's attitude, and to a lesser extent by perceived social pressure. The only other variable related to higher table salt use was a lower preference for fruit on the general food preferences questionnaire. The lower preference for fruit was also related to higher total salt intake, which was also predicted by a lower neuroticism score on the EPI. While extraversion was positively related to non-discretionary salt intake, this relationship was not significant for total salt intake.