2018 Volume 29 Issue 3 Pages 167-174
This study aimed to assess the effect of a salt reduction program among junior college students with respect to their awareness of salt reduction and intake. Student nutritionists at T Junior College were included, and the study was implemented in individual and team units. Surveys were conducted in Terms I, II, and III considering scholastic levels. Food service management training was used to administer three tests: taste tests, dietary habit surveys, and salt intake surveys. The program comprised learning about salt reduction, devising reduced-salt menus and continuous intake, and creating leaflets. The analysis targets were 53 individuals and 5 teams with completed data. In the taste tests, salt intake levels selected as close to everyday salt flavors were significantly lower in Term II than in Term I (p<0.05). In the salt intake surveys, the estimated salt intake was significantly lower in Term II than in Term I (p<0.05). From Term II onward, because of continuous learning of nutrition and specialized knowledge during lectures and practice, congruence developed between subjects’ taste of salt and their knowledge concerning appropriate salt levels. Thus, through this program, students developed the knowledge and taste of reduced salt and could devise salt-reduced meals.
