Weight Loss Goals and Lifestyle Characteristics of Mongolian Participants in Korean Medicine-Based Weight Management Consultation: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Survey

Objectives: Mongolia has experienced a rapid nutrition transition accompanied by increasing obesity prevalence. This study aimed to describe weight loss goals, lifestyle characteristics, and health-related features among Mongolian participants who voluntarily attended a Korean Medicine (KM)-based weight management consultation event.Methods: This exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted among Mongolian participants who voluntarily attended a KM-based weight management consultation event in Ulaanbaatar. Data collected included demographic characteristics, body mass index (BMI), desired and physician-recommended weight loss, food preferences, eating patterns, sleep patterns, alcohol preferences, and general health conditions.Results: Forty participants (95% female; mean age 42.5 years) were enrolled, and most were overweight or obese. On average, participants desired a weight reduction of 14.2±8.9 kg (17.9±7.5%), which was slightly higher than the mean physician-recommended target. In self-reported responses, participants frequently selected red meat and refined grains as preferred foods, whereas fruit and vegetable preferences were less frequently selected. Sleep-related problems were self-reported by 72.5% of participants. Beer was the most frequently preferred alcoholic beverage, and social media was the primary referral pathway (72.5%).Conclusions: This exploratory cross-sectional survey provides preliminary descriptive data on weight loss goals, lifestyle characteristics, health-related features, and referral pathways among Mongolian participants in a KM-based weight management consultation event. These findings should be interpreted as preliminary self-reported responses from a non-validated pre-consultation questionnaire and may inform culturally tailored pre-treatment counseling programs and future intervention studies.