[Physicians' knowledge on the questions of primary prevention of cardiovascular and other chronic noninfectious diseases]. / Osvedomlennost' vrachei v voprosakh pervichnoi profilaktiki serdechno-sosudistykh i drugikh khronicheskikh neinfektsionnykh zabolevanii.

The attitude of physicians to the problems of primary prevention, their knowledge of general risk factors (RF) of chronic noncommunicable diseases (CNCD) and the presence of RF among physicians were studied using the questionnaire method. Altogether 275 physicians from 5 rural areas were interviewed within the framework of the Integrated Program on CNCD Prevention in the Lithuanian SSR, i. e. 74.5% of the total number of physicians. Half of them took a positive attitude to primary preventive measures of CNCD. Therapeutists were better aware of risk factors and the criteria of their assessment as compared to physicians of the other specialities. The assessment of RF levels among physicians (filling in questionnaire forms) showed that 29.6% of men and 2.4% of women were regular smokers, 7.3% of women and 4.6% of men had excess body mass (a body mass index exceeding 30 kg/m2). A high prevalence of smoking among male physicians pointed out a necessity of preventive measures among them.