A Comparison of Salty Taste Assessment, Dietary Attitude and Dietary Behavior among Adult and Senior Women by Region and by Age in Korea

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare and analyze the results of salty taste assessment, dietary attitudes, and dietary behaviors among adult and senior women by region and by age. The results generated from this was expected to provide fundamental data for implementing a nationwide salt reduction education program. Methods: The salty taste assessment tool was applied to 4,064 subjects from 15 areas in Korea. Also, a survey of dietary attitude and dietary behavior related to salt intake was conducted for all subjects participated in this study. Results: The salty taste assessment scores by region and by age were the lowest in capital (p < 0.01) and was highest among the 70+ year age group (p < 0.01). The dietary attitude scores and dietary behavior scores showed that Gyeongsang was the highest (p < 0.001) and the capital was the lowest. The dietary attitude scores were highest at 20&30's followed by 40's and 70's group (p < 0.001). Dietary behavior scores showed that 20's~30's and 40's groups were higher than the other age groups (p < 0.001). The score of 'I like kimchi' was 3.46 ± 0.88, which was the highest among 10 dietary behavior questions. The score of 'I eat a lot of kimchi' was 3.30 ± 0.90, which was the highest among 10 dietary behavior questions related to salt intake. The scores of salty taste assessment had significant positive correlations between the scores of dietary attitude (p < 0.001), dietary behavior (p < 0.001) and self-awareness (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Based on the results of salty taste assessment, we observed a tendency that older people and regions except the capital had higher preference for salty taste. Our results suggested the necessity for a nationwide salty reduction education program tailored for regions and for different age groups. Korean J Community Nutr 20(2): 109~119, 2015