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Abstract

Background: Excessive sodium intake is the most widely recognized dietary risk factor among adults, as it leads to an increase in noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This study aimed to identify factors that influence sodium consumption behaviors (SCBs) among university employees.

Methods: A cross-sectional study with a stratified multistage probability sampling design was conducted to collect data from 430 public university employees in the lower northern region of Thailand aged 20-69 years from October to November 2022. The data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire, analyzed using binary logistic regression, and presented using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).

Results: Among all 430 participants, 74.7% were women, and the average age was 40.46 ± 8.04 years old. Factors influencing high SCBs were preferences for processed food (AOR 2.41, 95% CI: 1.52-3.89) followed by ordering food delivery (AOR 2.33, 95% CI: 1.51-3.61), a fondness for salty food (AOR 1.70, 95% CI: 1.04-2.80), working in non-health science departments (AOR 1.67, 95% CI: 1.06-2.63), eating out (AOR 1.63, 95% CI: 1.05-2.54), having a low level of applying to sodium information (AOR 2.11, 95% CI: 1.16-3.86), and having a low level of understanding of sodium information (AOR 2.04, 95% CI: 1.02-4.05).

Conclusions: Interventions to improve health literacy on sodium consumption of university employees are essential to improve understanding and application of sodium information. These interventions should especially focus on people who prefer processed food, order food delivery, are fond of salty food, and enjoy eating out.

Keywords: Adults, Health literacy on sodium consumption, Sodium consumption behavior, Thailand, University employees

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