The digital education to limit salt in the home program improved salt-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in parents

Abstract

Background: Currently, Australian children and adults are eating too much salt, increasing their risk of cardiovascular-related conditions. Web-based programs provide an avenue to engage the parents of primary schoolchildren in salt-specific messages, which may positively impact their own salt-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KABs). Objective: This pilot study aimed to determine whether parents’ salt-related KABs improved following participation in the Digital Education to LImit Salt in the Home (DELISH) Web-based education program. Methods: The DELISH program was a 5-week, home-delivered, Web-based intervention, with a pre- and posttest design, targeting schoolchildren aged 7 to 10 years and their parents. Parents received weekly Web-based educational newsletters and text messages and completed online pre- and postprogram surveys assessing salt-related KABs. Upon completion of the program, all parents were also invited to complete an online evaluation survey. Changes in KABs outcomes were assessed using McNemar tests and paired t tests. Results: Of the 80 parents that commenced the program, 73 parents (mean age 41.0, SD 7.0 years; 86% (63/73) females) completed both pre- and postsurveys. Overall, mean score for salt-related knowledge improved (+3.6 [standard error (SE) 0.41] points), and mean behavior score also improved (+4.5 [SE 0.61] points), indicating a higher frequency of engaging in behaviors to reduce salt in the diet, and mean attitude score decreased (−0.7 [SE 0.19] points), representing lower importance of using salt to enhance the taste of food (all P