Causes for employee absenteeism vary. The commonest cause of work absenteeism is “illness-related.” Mongolia’s capital city, Ulaanbaatar, experiences high employee absenteeism during the winter than during other seasons due to the combination of extreme cold and extreme air pollution. We identified direct and indirect costs of absenteeism attributed to air pollution among private-sector employees in Ulaanbaatar. Using a purposive sampling design, we obtained questionnaire data for 1,330 employees working for private-sector companies spanning six economic sectors. We conducted 26 employee focus groups and 20 individual employer in-depth interviews. We used both quantitative and qualitative instruments to characterize the direct and indirect costs of absence due to illnesses attributed to severe air pollution during wintertime. Female employees and employees with a young child at home were more likely to be absent. Respiratory diseases accounted for the majority of reported air pollution-related illnesses. All participants perceived that air pollution adversely affected their health. Individual employee direct costs related to absence totaled 875,000 MNT ($307.10) for an average of three instances of three-day illness-related absences during the winter. This sum included diagnostic and doctor visit-related, medication costs and hospitalization costs. Non-healthcare-related direct cost (transportation) per absence was 50,000₮ ($17.60). Individual indirect costs included the value of lost wages for the typical 3-day absence, amounting to 120,000₮ ($42.10). These total costs to employees, therefore, may amount to as much as 10% of annual income. The majority of sick absences were unpaid. Overall, the cost of wintertime absences is substantial and fell disproportionately on female employees with young children.

Objectives: This study is aimed to investigate potential socio-economic risk factors associated with Nicotine Dependence among UB residents. It is important to identify and understand the various elements that may make people more susceptible to the negative health effects of smoking. Methods: We applied a cross-sectional study design to define the level of nicotine dependence on 875 participants. In addition, risk factors associated with nicotine dependence were assessed through a questionnaire survey. Results: Higher nicotine dependence in this study was associated with being a female (OR=1.208), older age groups (OR=1.5-2.9), divorced (OR=1.091), living in a house (OR=1.602), having a high school education level (OR=1.794), not having a regular job (OR=1.137), having a higher alcohol consumption level (OR=1.18-1.62), and age at initiation of smoking at 18 or younger (OR=1.796). Conclusion: According to the results of our research, countries with low and moderate levels of income, such as Mongolia, have a significant problem with high levels of nicotine dependence. In addition to this, it underscores the importance of developing smoking cessation programs that consider the extent of nicotine dependence while placing a greater emphasis on early interventions of the linked factors.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a behavioral intervention based on the World Health Organization (WHO) 5A and 5R guidelines in Mongolia who use the Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) patch. The study aims to assess the impact of the intervention on smoking cessation rate. The finding of this study will contribute to the existing literature on smoking cessation interventions and provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of a behavioral approach in a Mongolian population. Methods: In the intervention study, out of total of 806 people interested in the part of this study. The study team excluded their eligibility criteria of the study participant. A sample of 625 people who fulfilled study inclusion criteria received advice about the negative consequences of tobacco. After that, 479 people decided to quit smoking and 41 people were excluded due to health contraindications, and the final sample 454 people began nicotine replacement therapy to quit smoking. Participants in the treatment group received nicotine replacement patches for 28 days, while those in the counseling group received four sessions of behavioral change counseling (5A, 5R). Results: 454 were found to be eligible to take part in the study and were subsequently assigned to one of two groups, with 230 and 224 participants assigned to each group, respectively. In the second month of follow-up, 90 (39.1%) of participants who received NRT patches quit smoking. The group that received NRT + Behavioral intervention was 1.02 times as successful, or 0.7% more effective, than the group that did not receive behavioral intervention (P=0.872). Conclusion: WHO 5A, 5R brief counselling were more effective than group without behavioral intervention for smoking cessation, but difference was insignificant.