Nutritional Counseling for Hypertensive Patients: Have Final-Year Nursing Students Learnt Enough to Be Able to Offer Advice to Such Patients?

Table 3

Respondents’ knowledge of nutrition therapy to manage hypertension.

Abbreviated questions	Frequency	Percentage (%)
Nutritional recommendation to manage hypertension
Reduce sodium or salt intake
Reduce weight
Increase potassium intake from food sources
Lower saturated fat intake
Increase magnesium intake from food sources
Advisable for a hypertensive to limit consumption of caffeine
Advisable for a hypertensive to limit consumption of alcoholic beverages
Advisable for a hypertensive to cultivate the habit of always reading nutritional information on food items
Reason(s) why it is advisable to always read nutritional information on food items
To avoid excessive intake of sodium/salt in diet
To avoid excessive intake of fats in the diet
To avoid excessive intake of potassium in the diet
Ideal recommendation to prevent or manage high blood pressure with respect to salt restriction (more than 1 answer allowed)
Reduce salt to 6 g/day for primary prevention of hypertension
Choose foods with <400 mg/100 g of salt
Have no idea about recommendation of salt intake to hypertensives
Ideal recommendation to manage hypertension with respect to type of dietary intakes (more than 1 answer allowed)
Consume a diet rich in fruits and vegetables
Consume a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol
Consume a diet high in potassium
Consume a diet high in fiber
Consume a diet low in salt or sodium
Consume a diet high in nuts such as cashew and almonds
Ideal recommendation to prevent or manage high blood pressure with respect to fat intake (more than 1 answer allowed)
Consume a diet high in unsaturated fat
Consume a diet high in saturated fat
Consume a diet low in unsaturated fat
Consume a diet low in saturated fat
Have no idea about recommendation of fat intakes to hypertensives