Contents of the MONICA Population Survey Data Book   (Previous) Section 6.1.   (Next) Section 6.3.

6.2. Cholesterol

6.2.1. Specification of data

The measurement procedures are described in Section 1.4.2 of Part III of the MONICA Manual (1). Any variation between the RUAs in the measurement procedures and quality of the data are described in the reports  quality assessment of total cholesterol measurements (9), quality assessment of data on HDL-cholesterol (10) and quality assessment of  of data on awareness and treatment of high cholesterol (11).

The following extract from the Core data transfer format - survey data of the MONICA Manual (1) specifies the format in which the data were transferred to the MONICA Data Centre:
 

NAME VERSION SPECIFICATION AND CODES CHARACTERS
HICH 6,7 "Have you ever been told by a doctor or other  health worker that you have high blood cholesterol?" 
1 = yes 
2 = no (if no, record 8 in items CHDT and CHRX) 
9 = insufficient data 		 |__|        
 

The item HICH was introduced in the November 1990 version of the manual.

 
CHDT  6,7 "Are you on a special diet prescribed by a doctor or other health worker to lower your blood cholesterol level?"
1 = yes 
2 = no 
3 = uncertain 
8 if HICH = 2 
9 = insufficient data 		 |__|         
 

The item CHDT was introduced in the November 1990 version of the manual.

 
CHRX             6,7 "Are you taking (in the last two weeks) pills or other medicine prescribed by a doctor to lower your blood cholesterol level?"
1 = yes 
2 = no 
3 = uncertain 
8 if HICH = 2 
9 = insufficient data 		 |__|              
 

The item CHRX was introduced in the November 1990 version of the manual.

 
CHRECD 6,7 "Have you had your blood cholesterol measured in  the last year?" 
1 = yes 
2 = no 
9 = insufficient data 		 |__|          
 

The item CHRECD was introduced in the November 1990 version of the manual.

 
CHOL             3,6,7 Total serum cholesterol (mmol/l and  decimal)
888 = serum cholesterol measured in units mg/dl or blood specimen not taken or mislaid in the laboratory
999 = person did not attend the survey examination 		 |__|__|,|__|   
CHOLDL 3,6,7 Total serum cholesterol (mg/dl)
888 = serum cholesterol measured in units mmol/l, or blood specimen not taken or mislaid in the laboratory
999 = person did not attend the survey examination 		 |__|__|__|      
HDL 3,6,7 HDL cholesterol (mmol/l and two decimals)
777 = HDL cholesterol determination not done, although blood specimen taken
888 = HDL cholesterol measured in units mg/dl, or blood specimen not taken or mislaid in the laboratory
999 = person did not attend the survey examination		 |__|,|__||__|   
HDLDL 3,6,7 HDL cholesterol (mg/dl)
777 = HDL cholesterol determination not done, although blood specimen taken
888 = HDL cholesterol measurement in units mmol/l, or blood specimen not taken or mislaid in the laboratory
999 = person did not attend the survey examination		 |__|__|__|     

6.2.2. Total cholesterol

The distribution characteristics of total cholesterol (Table 6.2.2.) are reported as mmol/l. If the laboratory gave the total cholesterol measurement in mg/dl it was converted to mmol/l by multiplying cholesterol measurement by 0.025864. Values greater than 50 mmol/l were considered as missing data (999). (There is one such value in the MONICA database.)

Use of data in the cases where the information provided for items CHOL and CHOLDL are mutually inconsistent:

  CHOL
<999 but <> 888 other
CHOLDL <999 but <>888 chol choldl
other chol missing

6.2.3. HDL cholesterol

The distribution characteristics of HDL cholesterol (Table 6.2.3.) are reported as mmol/l. If the laboratory gave the HDL cholesterol measurement in mg/dl it was converted to mmol/l by multiplying HDL cholesterol measurement by 0.025864.

Use of data in the cases where the information provided for items HDL and HDLDL are mutually inconsistent:

  HDL
<999 but <>777 and <> 888 other
HDLDL < 999 but <>777 and <>888 hdl choldl
other hdl missing

6.2.4. Proportion of HDL cholesterol in total cholesterol

Proportion of HDL cholesterol in total cholesterol or, in other words, the HDL/Total cholesterol ratio (Table 6.2.4.) was calculated dividing HDL cholesterol by total cholesterol and multiplying this quotient by 100.

6.2.5. Proportion of those who have been told that they have high blood cholesterol by categories of cholesterol

Total cholesterol was divided into 4 categories and the proportion of those who have been told that they have high blood cholesterol was reported (Table 6.2.5.).

Information was considered as missing if there was no measurement for total cholesterol or HICH was coded as 8 or 9.

6.2.6. Categories of the treatment for lowering blood cholesterol

Categories of the treatment for lowering blood cholesterol (Table 6.2.6.) are determined as using variables HICH, CHDT and CHRX.

HICH = Yes (1) CHDT
Yes (1) No (2) Uncertain (3) Insuff. data (9)
CHRX Yes (1) Diet and pills Only pills ID ID
No (2) Only diet No treatment ID ID
Uncertain (3) ID ID ID ID
Insuff. data (9) ID ID ID ID

ID means "insufficient data".

6.2.7. Have you had your blood cholesterol measured in the last year?

In the November 1990 version of the manual the question "Have you had your blood cholesterol measured in the last year?" was introduced (Table 6.2.7).

Information is considered as missing if variable CHRECD is coded as 9.

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