[Knowledge, attitude and practice of salt reduction and hypertension status and related factors among restaurant practitioners in Beijing City].

Abstract

A convenience sampling method was employed to recruit 445 food service employees from 67 Chinese restaurants across all 16 administrative districts of Beijing City from August to December in 2022. A questionnaire survey was conducted to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors regarding salt reduction and hypertension. The results revealed that awareness was highest for the statement "Hypertensive patients should reduce salt intake" (88.3%), while awareness of "China's diagnostic criteria for hypertension" was the lowest (23.8%). Positive attitude endorsement rates were 96.0% for willingness to reduce salt, 95.3% for perceived self-efficacy in salt reduction, and 93.0% for agreement with a low-salt diet. Regarding behaviors, the rates of actively reducing salt when ordering takeout or dining out, using low-sodium salt, and using salt-reducing spoons were 73.7%, 45.4%, and 55.5%, respectively. The overall compliance rate for salt-reduction related behaviors was 73.9%. Multivariable logistic regression analysis demonstrated that: compared to the 18-29 age group, employees aged 30-39 (OR=2.19, 95%CI: 1.16-4.14), 40-49 (OR=3.36, 95%CI: 1.52-7.42), and 50-59 (OR=3.25, 95%CI: 1.25-8.50) were significantly more likely to achieve compliance with salt-reduction behaviors; chefs were significantly more likely to achieve behavioral compliance compared to managerial staff (OR=2.08, 95%CI: 1.08-3.98); employees in catering with adequate knowledge about salt reduction and hypertension were significantly more likely to exhibit behavioral compliance compared to those with inadequate knowledge (OR=3.32, 95%CI: 1.83-5.92); employees in catering with positive attitudes towards salt reduction were significantly more likely to achieve behavioral compliance compared to those with negative attitudes (OR=5.81, 95%CI: 2.05-16.43). In conclusion, food service employees in Beijing exhibit insufficient knowledge about salt intake and hypertension. While they demonstrate strong willingness to reduce salt, this does not consistently translate into action. Compliance with salt-reduction behaviors is influenced by age, education level, and job position. There is an urgent need to strengthen the dissemination of knowledge regarding high salt intake and hypertension and to implement personalized interventions targeting salt-reduction behaviors and skills.