Sociodemographic factors and salt consumption in Sri Lanka: awareness of salt intake recommendations as a mediator.

Despite the adverse health effects of excessive salt consumption, many people continue to consume high amounts of salt. This study aims to examine the mediating role of awareness of recommended salt intake in the associations between sociodemographic factors and salt consumption among adults in Sri Lanka. Data from 6138 adults aged 18-69 years who participated in the WHO STEPwise approach to Noncommunicable Disease Risk Factor Surveillance (STEPS) survey were used in linear regression models to examine how sociodemographic factors were associated with salt consumption. Understanding of the recommended daily salt intake was included as a potential mediator and assessed using structural equation modelling. Results show that adults who were less educated, of Indian Tamil ethnicity, single or married and in the third quintile of the wealth index demonstrated higher salt consumption than their counterparts. Knowledge of salt intake recommendations explained about 14% of the association between tertiary education and salt consumption. It also mediated 3% of the effect of marital status (being married) on salt intake. Approximately 4% to 5% of the effects of ethnicity on salt consumption were explained by awareness of the recommended salt intake. The associations between salt consumption, gender and the wealthiest quintile were fully mediated by knowledge of salt intake recommendations. In conclusion, awareness of salt intake recommendations plays a pivotal role in mediating the associations between various sociodemographic factors and salt consumption. Therefore, policymakers should prioritize improving knowledge of salt intake recommendations among adults across diverse sociodemographic backgrounds.