Perceptions and Knowledge of Cholesterol and Lipid-Lowering Medications Among Treatment-Naive Individuals: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Purpose: The literature often includes studies on cholesterol perception and lipid-lowering medication (LLM) use with patients who have used or discontinued LLM for primary or secondary prevention. With the exponential rise in patients needing LLM each year, understanding their knowledge and perceptions of cholesterol and these drugs is crucial. For this reasons, we aimed to determine the perception and knowledge of treatment-naive participants about cholesterol and LLM.

Patients and methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Turkey between August 2020 and August 2022. A self-designed online survey developed from literature sources was used to determine the level of knowledge and perception of cholesterol, LLM and influencing factors.

Results: A total of 2062 respondents completed the survey, which was sent to the participants via an online link. The most common sources of information about cholesterol and lipid-lowering medications were medical staff (71%) media (58.4%) and scientific publications (33.3%). The most three common factors affecting the participants' perception of cholesterol and LLM were medical staff (49.6%), media (23.7%), and scientific publications (15.6%).

Conclusion: Our study revealed that participants have some inaccurate and incomplete information about cholesterol and LLM. Medical staff and the media emerged as the primary sources of information and crucial influences on most participants' perceptions of cholesterol and LLM.

Keywords: hypercholesterolemia; illness perception; lipid-lowering medication; medication adherence; non-compliance; statins.