Since dietary habits during youth are a causal factor of lifestyle-related disease, it is essential to
provide dietary education to university students. Therefore, we conducted a questionnaire survey among
university students focusing on dietary salt, which is related to hypertension, gastric cancer, and other
diseases, and analyzed the relationship between the respondents' attitudes to salt intake and their lifestyle,
eating behaviors, and actual salt intake.
According to the results, 66.5% of the respondents (Group A) try to limit their salt intake, while
33.5% (Group B) do not try to do so. There was no intergroup difference in lifestyle and health status, but a
relatively large proportion of indications of blood pressure during a health check; such individuals need
to make improvements to their lifestyles, such as reducing their salt intake, in order to prevent
hypertension from occurring or worsening. The respondents in Group B, many of whom were living with
their parents, were significantly more likely to neglect having a combination of staple food, a main dish,
and side dishes in their meals, to be scarcely concerned about nutrition and diet, and to rarely cook
meals themselves; also, they were significantly less likely to use nutritional component displays. It is
essential to teach such individuals how to use dietary balance guides and nutritional component displays
in order to raise their dietary awareness and thus help them adopt appropriate eating habits. The
respondents of Group A, many of whom were slim, tended to be highly diet-conscious and to pay
attention to energy and salt intake when selecting foods and meals. However, it is necessary to examine
their nutritional intake in order to determine whether their selections are in fact appropriate. Both sets of
respondents tended to focus on price as a key criterion for selecting meals. It would therefore be effective
if university canteens and food outlets provide inexpensive and nutritionally balanced meals while also
providing information such as nutritional component displays and dietary balance guides. Both sets of
respondents probably had at least some awareness about salt intake targets, and it is reasonable to
assume that their salt intake from flavor enhancers, soup, and other items is low; however, there is a need
to conduct a dietary intake survey to obtain detailed data