Purpose: To assess the knowledge, attitude, and behaviors related to dietary salt intake and develop a home-based intervention that helps lower salt intake among Filipino college students.
Design: Two-phase program development study utilizing descriptive and quasi-experimental design.
Methods: Phase 1 determined the knowledge, attitude, and behaviors alongside the frequency of dietary salt intake of a consecutive sample (n = 118). Phase 2 involved the development and pilot-testing of a home-based intervention wherein a random sample (n = 35) selected from Phase 1 joined for pilot-testing. The study was conducted from October - November 2021 and utilized valid and reliable measures to test the knowledge, attitude, and behavior of the participants.
Findings: Initial assessment showed knowledge regarding health risks of high salt intake and positive attitude toward health-promoting behaviors. Post-intervention showed improvement in attitude (p = 0.0004) and behavior (p = 0.001) related to dietary salt intake alongside health literacy (p = 0.036). There was no significant change in knowledge (p = 0.054).
Conclusion: The home-based intervention involving the use of health education materials is successful in improving dietary salt intake patterns.
Clinical evidence: Community health nurses may utilize home-based interventions to help develop health-promoting behaviors among young adults.