Dietary Salt-Related Determinants of Hypertension in Rural Northern Thailand

Pimbucha Rusmevichientong, Celina Morales, Gabriela Castorena, Ratana Sapbamrer, Mathuramat Seesen and Penprapa Siviroj
Additional contact information
Pimbucha Rusmevichientong: Department of Public Health, California State University Fullerton, Fullerton, CA 92831, USA
Celina Morales: Department of Health Sciences, California State University Northridge, Los Angeles, CA 91330, USA
Gabriela Castorena: Camp Fire Afterschool Program, Toccoa, CA 92867, USA
Ratana Sapbamrer: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Mathuramat Seesen: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand
Penprapa Siviroj: Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, Chiang Mai 50200, Thailand

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 2, 1-16

Abstract: Hypertension and its connection to high salt consumption have been observed in the Thai population. This study mainly contributed to the literature to examine the dietary-salt-related determinants associated with the risk of hypertension in rural northern Thailand, which exhibited the highest prevalence of hypertension. A total of 376 adults residing in San Pa Tong District, Chiang Mai province, were face-to-face interviewed using a structured questionnaire assessing dietary-salt-related knowledge, attitudes, consumption, sources, and habits. The subject’s blood pressure (BP) was measured twice before and after the interview. Hypertension was defined as a systolic BP ≥ 130 mmHg or a diastolic BP ≥ 80 mmHg. The dietary-salt-related knowledge, attitude, and habits toward salt reduction were positively correlated; however, knowledge and attitudes were not significantly correlated with consumption. Multivariate logistic regression results indicated subjects who frequently bought ready-to-eat food, ate out, or used bouillon cube/monosodium glutamate (MSG) during food preparation were likely to have hypertension (OR = 2.24, 95% CI: 1.36–3.69, p = 0.002). MSG was heavily consumed and used as a flavor enhancer in northern Thai cuisine; however, a few subjects realized it contains sodium due to no salty taste. The deficiency of specific dietary-salt-related knowledge illustrated the need for tailored educational intervention strategies.

Keywords: hypertension; knowledge; attitude; dietary-salt consumption; consumer behaviors; eating habits (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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