Health Beliefs Related to Salt-Restricted Diet and Associated Factors in Turkish Patients on Hemodialysis

Purpose: To examine health beliefs related to salt-restricted diet, to investigate their associations with demographic/disease-related characteristics and family support, and to determine the need for tailored interventions in Turkish patients on hemodialysis. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 200 patients on hemodialysis. Data were collected through an information form, the Perceived Social Support from Family Scale and the Beliefs about Dietary Compliance Scale, including two subscales: perceived benefits and barriers. Descriptive statistics, Student’s t test, Pearson’s correlation coefficients, and linear regression analysis were used for data analysis. Results: The item mean perceived benefit score was higher than the item mean perceived barrier score. Limiting salt intake, family support, and the presence of residual urine output were associated with health beliefs. Conclusions/Implications: The likelihood of adherence to salt-restricted diet was high. A better understanding of health beliefs about salt-restricted diet and their related factors may facilitate the implementation of tailored interventions.