Do not be salty: an analysis of consumers' salt reduction strategies investigated using word association tasks

Abstract

Obesity and obesity-related illness have become an increasingly prevalent problem in Canada and around the globe. Due to this situation, consumers' attitudes towards salt use have changed. The objective of this study was to investigate individuals' attitudes towards salt use and identify if they are choosing to reduce salt in their diet using unrestrictive questions. A convenience sample of 193 participants, residing in Atlantic Canada were recruited. Word association tasks were used to identify their attitudes towards salt-reduced foods and high-salt food products. Furthermore, an open-ended comment question was used to identify consumers' salt reduction strategies. Participants considered salt-reduced foods to be healthy and specifically indicated that they help to reduce blood pressure. However, they also considered them to be bland and lack flavour. The participants identified that they believed processed foods to be high in salt, especially processed meats. The majority of participants (70% of the overall population; 89% of older adults above 65 years of age) said they are trying to reduce their salt intake. The most frequently mentioned strategies for reducing salt and sodium intake were making homemade meals, purchasing low-salt and sodium-labelled foods, reading nutrition fact labels and removing saltshakers from their table at home.