Serum total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol levels were classified on
the basis of the Third Report of the Expert Panel on Detection,
Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults
(ATP III).16 Awareness of high blood cholesterol was defined as
self-report of any previous diagnosis of hypercholesterolemia by a
healthcare professional among the population defined as having high
blood cholesterol. Treatment of hypercholesterolemia was defined as
use of pharmacological treatment to lower blood cholesterol during
the previous 2 weeks. Participants were considered to have controlled
total cholesterol concentrations if their total cholesterol was
200 or 240 mg/dL or to have controlled LDL cholesterol
concentration if their LDL cholesterol was 130 or 160 mg/dL,
depending on the cholesterol threshold used for analysis.
The Institutional Review Board at the Tulane University Health
Sciences Center and ethics committees and other relevant regulatory
bodies in China approved the InterASIA study. Informed consent
was obtained from each participant before data collection.