Introduction: Excessive intake of sodium in developing countries is highly associated with elevated prevalence of chronic diseases. Studies among Jordanians that compare their dietary sodium intakes with adequate intake (AI) are very rare. The aim of the study was to assess the status of dietary sodium intakes among healthy Jordanians and to find out their adherence to the new value of Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs), namely chronic disease risk reduction (CDRR) value.
Methods: A cross-sectional study design was conducted on 325 healthy Jordanian adults through face-to face interview. The study questionnaire include information regarding participants’ sociodemographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, and dietary assessment of sodium intake.SPSS (version 25) was used for statistical analysis and significance set at p-value <0.05.
Results: The study outcomes indicated that 27 participants (8%) had dietary sodium intake less than AI. Moreover, 87 participants had adequate intake between AI and CDRR. Meanwhile the majority of study population (211 participants) had dietary sodium intake higher than CDRR. Variables including gender, education level, BMI, smoking, and major dietary pattern revealed a significant differences between different categories of dietary sodium intake. Higher odds of excessive dietary sodium intake were found among (males, low education level, obese persons, smokers, and participants who followed Western-like pattern) in comparison to other groups for each variable.
Conclusion: This study indicated high percentage of healthy Jordanians consume high amounts of dietary sodium higher than CDRR. Therefore, a weak adherence to the new CDRR value of dietary sodium intake was clear among participants. Obesity, smoking, and following unhealthy dietary pattern high in sodium such as Western-like dietary pattern were among the most alarming risk factors associated with excessive dietary sodium intake. Further studies are recommended among healthy and patients’ population to determine the appropriate intervention strategies needed to enhance awareness regarding healthy eating practices.