Hypertension affected 13.6% of adults in a rural Nepalese community and was strongly associated with lesser education (OR 5.89), tobacco use (OR 4.10), and alcohol consumption (OR 2.10).
What is the prevalence and what are the risk factors for hypertension in a rural community in Nepal?
In a rural Nepalese community, hypertension prevalence was 13.6%, with significant risk factors including lesser education, poor sleep quality, tobacco use, and alcohol consumption.
Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 0%
Introduction Population‐based surveys in Nepal have demonstrated significant geographical variation with hypertension (HTN) prevalence ranging from 32.5% to 41.5% with a triple increase in the same place in a span of 25 years. This study aimed to identify HTN prevalence and its predictors among people in a rural community in Nepal. Methods A cross‐sectional survey was conducted among 596 adults in a rural municipality of Nepal. Data were collected through face‐to‐face interviews using the WHO STEPS questionnaire and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, in the local language. Following the interviews, physical measurements including height, waist and hip circumference (in centimeters), weight (in kilograms), and blood pressure were recorded. Body mass index (BMI) was calculated (weight in kg/height in m 2 ), and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) was computed by dividing waist circumference by hip circumference. The data were analyzed using SPSS Version 20 (IBM SPSS). Bivariate and multivariate analyses were employed to identify the independent predictors of the outcome variables. Results Most of the respondents were female with an average age of 36.54 ± 14.95 years. Regarding body weight, 71.5% had normal BMI, 85.9% had high health risk WHR, 13.6% had raised BP, and 12% respondents had poor sleep quality. Factors associated with higher odds of hypertension included lesser education (OR = 5.889 and CI = 2.779–12.480), poor sleep quality (OR = 1.254 and CI = 1.070–1.471), current tobacco use (OR = 4.102 and CI = 2.730–16.165), current alcohol consumption (OR = 2.096 and CI = 1.388–3.163), and exposure to second‐hand smoke (OR = 2.103 and CI = 1.311–3.375). Conclusion Poor sleep quality, tobacco use, including second‐hand smoke exposure, alcohol consumption, and physical inactivity are significant risk factors for HTN. Therefore, public health programs need to be focused on such a high‐risk population.
Muna et al. (Thu,) reported a other. Hypertension affected 13.6% of adults in a rural Nepalese community and was strongly associated with lesser education (OR 5.89), tobacco use (OR 4.10), and alcohol consumption (OR 2.10).