Assessment of salt knowledge and habits in patients with high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

Year 2025, Volume: 7 Issue: 3, 353 - 357, 30.05.2025

Berrin Akın , Melda Dilek

https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1671815

Abstract

Aims: Excessive dietary salt intake is a major contributor to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Patients with elevated lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) are at increased risk, but there is limited data on their salt knowledge and habits. This study aimed to assess salt-related knowledge and dietary behaviour in patients with hyperlipidaemia.
Methods: A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted among 100 patients with LDL-C ≥160 mg/dl attending the Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic of Ondokuz Mayıs University. Participants completed three face-to-face questionnaires assessing demographic and clinical characteristics, salt knowledge (20-item test), and frequency of consumption of salty foods. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and comparison tests (t-test, Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square), with p<0.05 considered statistically significant.
Results: Salt knowledge scores ranged from 5 to 19 correct answers. Patients with higher education had significantly better salt knowledge (p<0.0001), whereas older adults and married individuals had lower scores. There were no significant differences according to sex, BMI or self-reported low-salt diet. Only 10% of participants reported receiving education about salt intake. Feta cheese was the most commonly consumed salty food, while unsalted bread was rarely preferred. Despite high LDL-C levels, many patients lacked an adequate understanding of the health risks associated with salt.
Conclusion: There is a substantial gap in salt-related knowledge in patients with high LDL-C, particularly in older and less educated individuals. Targeted educational interventions addressing salt consumption may improve dietary practices and support cardiovascular risk reduction in this vulnerable group.

Keywords

LDL cholesterol, salt intake, dietary behavior, hyperlipidemia

Ethical Statement

Retrospective ethics committee approval is not required for articles that have been used before 2020, produced from master's/doctoral studies (must be stated in the article), submitted an application for publication to the journal in the previous year, accepted but not yet published

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