Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding modifiable cardiovascular risk factors and healthy lifestyle among adults
- VernacularTitle:Зүрх судасны өвчний өөрчлөх боломжтой эрсдэлт хүчин зүйлс, эрүүл амьдралын хэв маягийн талаарх хүн амын мэдлэг, хандлага, дадал
- Author:
Punsaldulam Ts
1
;
Mungunchimeg D
1
;
Tumur-Ochir Ts
1
;
Narandelger M
1
;
Adiya N
2
;
Batnaran D
1
;
Mungun-Ulzii Kh
1
;
Suvd B
3
Author Information
1. Third State Central Hospital
2. MMCG LLC
3. MMCG LLC, Ach Medical University
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
attitude;
cardiovascular disease;
knowledge;
practice;
risk factors of cardiovascular disease;
Mongolia
- From:Mongolian Medical Sciences
2025;213(3):20-31
- CountryMongolia
- Language:Mongolian
-
Abstract:
Introduction :Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) caused at least 43 million deaths in 2021, equivalent
to 75% of non-pandemic-related deaths globally. Cardiovascular diseases account for most
NCD deaths, or at least 19 million deaths in 2021, followed by cancers (10 million), chronic
respiratory diseases (4 million), and diabetes (over 2 million including kidney disease deaths
caused by diabetes). These four groups of diseases account for 80% of all premature NCD
deaths. According to the Fourth National Survey on the Prevalence of Noncommunicable
Diseases, Injuries, and Their Risk Factors: 14.0% of adults aged 15–69 have experienced
a heart attack or stroke, 11.0% report taking aspirin to prevent or manage cardiovascular
disease (CVD), 2.2% use lipid-lowering medications (statins) for CVD prevention or treatment,
among adults aged 40–69, 19.3% are at high risk of developing CVD within the next 10 years.
These findings underscore the urgent need to strengthen cardiovascular disease prevention
efforts and improve the management of key risk factors in Mongolia.
Goal:To determine the population’s knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to cardiovascular
disease risk factors and healthy lifestyle behaviors.
Materials and Methods:This descriptive cross-sectional study included 2,532 participants aged 18–69 years from all
21 provinces of Mongolia and Ulaanbaatar city, as part of the “Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery,
and Telemedicine in Mongolia” (MON/007) Project. Data were collected using a structured
questionnaire comprising six sub-sections, designed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to 10 modifiable cardiovascular risk factors. Ethical approval was obtained
prior to the study, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 23.
Results:Thirty-three percent of study participants reported having no knowledge of cardiovascular
disease, indicating that roughly one in three adults consider themselves to have little or no
understanding of cardiovascular health. In the study, 53.0% of participants reported being
unaware of the symptoms of a heart attack, while 42.0% did not recognize the symptoms of a
stroke. Among participants who could identify these symptoms, 68.0% indicated dizziness as
a sign of hypertension, 65.0% reported headache, and 58.0% noted blurred vision. Among
the respondents, 31.0% knew that the normal arterial blood pressure for an adult is 120/80
mmHg, 57.0% were aware that an adult should sleep 7–8 hours per day, 13.0% knew about
body mass index (BMI), 30.0% were aware of fasting blood glucose levels, and 44.0%
recognized that adults should engage in 30 minutes of physical activity daily. Knowledge of
key physiological indicators was significantly associated with educational attainment, gender,
and age group, with lower levels of awareness observed among participants with lower
education, males, and younger adults (p=0.001). The majority of participants (75.0%-96.0%)
reported being aware of the modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Among the
study participants, nine out of ten agreed that maintaining a healthy lifestyle includes regular
physical activity, exercising, walking short distances, and understanding that hypertension
is harmful and smoking adversely affects the heart. Furthermore, 80–85% reported avoiding
excessive alcohol consumption, and 79% believed that cardiovascular disease is preventable.
To prevent or reduce obesity, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, 49.0% of participants
reported engaging in regular physical activity, while 33.0% reported following a healthy diet.
Among all study participants, 61.0% had never checked their cholesterol levels, 49.0% had
never measured their blood glucose, and 15.0% had never monitored their blood pressure.
Among respondents exhibiting 1–3 common risk factors, the majority were female, aged
25–34 years, living in rural areas or ger districts, with secondary or specialized secondary
education, employed in government institutions, and had a normal BMI. In contrast, among
those with 7 or more common risk factors, the majority were male, aged 35–44 years, residing
in Ulaanbaatar, living in ger districts, and employed in private organizations.
Conclusion:Most of surveyed participants had sufficient knowledge and positive attitudes toward
modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular diseases (p=0.001). However, they exhibited
inadequate preventive practices related to these risk factors. This indicates the importance
of targeted intervention on behavior change to address this gap.
- Full text:202512231813577119MAUS-2025-213(3)-20-31.pdf
