MYTHS ABOUT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE IN UKRAINE AND THE ROLE OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
The aim of the study is to determine the prevalence of false ideas (myths) regarding cardiovascular diseases and blood pressure among the working-age population. Two-stage sociological survey among the population of the Dnipropetrovsk Region (Ukraine) took place in 2017. The survey was carried out using specially developed methodology for the qualitative and quantitative research stages and questionnaire. To study the prevalence of myths we used the in-depth interview method (among patients aged 40 to 60 years, N=20) and the method of personal formalized interviews (in a representative sample of the population aged 18 to 60 years, N=2000). The survey was commissioned by the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration with the financial support of the World Bank. The high prevalence of myths regarding cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure among residents of the Dnipropetrovsk Region was revealed. Almost half of the respondents of working age have misconceptions about the indispensable manifestation of high blood pressure, deterioration of health, the presence of so-called “working pressure” and the need for a course drip injection of drugs. A third of respondents are convinced that with high cholesterol, it is enough to change the diet instead of the statin therapy recommended by the doctor; almost the same number of respondents believe that physical work (at work place or at home) can completely replace regular exercise. The danger of the spread of misconceptions for individual and public health is shown in the research paper, the need to discredit them and improve the health literacy of the population with the aim of minimizing the behavioral risk factors for cardiovascular diseases, which is most effective at the level of primary health care, has been proved.