Salt Literacy and Educational Disparities in Rural Bayelsa State, Nigeria

Aims: To assess salt literacy levels among adults in remote communities of Bayelsa State and examine its association with educational attainment.

Study Design: The study was a community-based cross-sectional survey.

Place and Duration of Study: Conducted in selected communities in the creeks of Bayelsa between September 2023 and April 2024.

Methodology: The study included 2,016 respondents selected purposively from nine communities in the creeks of the three senatorial districts of Bayelsa State. A validated salt literacy questionnaire was used to obtain salt literacy data. Descriptive statistics were used to obtain summaries of demographic and salt literacy data, while independent samples t-test and chi-square tests were used to determine district-based differences in salt literacy scores and the association between educational status and salt literacy level, respectively.

Results: Female respondents accounted for 57.2%, while males made up the remaining 42.8%. The average sample age was 39 (SD±7.2). A total of 1,655 (82.1%) respondents had low salt literacy, while 62 (3.1%) and 299 (14.8%) had moderate and high salt literacy, respectively. Salt literacy scores were not significantly different among communities in the three senatorial districts (M1 = 24 [SD 5.26], M2 = 24[SD = 5.04]; M3 = 24; [SD = 5.37]); t (2,016) = 2.19, P = 0.104, 2-tailed). There was also no significant association between respondents’ educational status and salt literacy level (χ² = 0.237, df = 3, P = 0.124).

Conclusion: Salt literacy level is low among adults in remote communities of Bayelsa State, and no significant association exists between educational status and salt literacy. The findings underscore the need for targeted health education interventions to improve salt literacy in these communities, focusing on addressing knowledge gaps regardless of educational attainment.