Research Report on NCD Risk Factors Surveillance in Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: According to WHO, nearly 52 percent deaths and 38 percent of diseases burden in South East Asia Region (SEAR) are related to non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Particularly, cardiovascular disorders, cancer, diabetes mellitus and conditions arising from injuries are prioritized top in the region, out of them; ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease are two main conditions. Cancer, Cardiovascular disorders, neuropsychiatric disorders, diabetes mellitus and hypertension are reported major NCDs in Nepal. Information on distribution and determinants of risk factors especially for NCDs in population provide basis for selecting strategies for effective prevention and control. Such strategies aim to promote healthy behavior and lower risk in the entire population. Thus, it is essential to quantify and access distribution of risk factors. The main aim of this study is to identify and describe the level of selected non-communicable diseases risk factors by age and sex among 25-64 aged populations, using recommended WHO definitions and to provide appropriate and sufficient information needed for design and implementation of non-communicable diseases risk factors prevention and control interventions. Methods: The study area of this survey was Kathmandu metropolitan city. Among the 35 wards of the Kathmandu Metropolitan city, only 5 wards were chosen. They were 2, 7 14, 18 and 32 wards. A sample size of approximately 2000 (men and women) between 25 to 64 years were selected through Probability Proportion to size (PPS) sampling method, which could detect magnitude of selected risk factors by age and sex. Sample households were drawn from the selected wards by using cluster sampling. Among the clusters, two clusters from each ward were selected using simple random sampling method. Collected data were computerized and analyzed using EPI-2002, Epi data 2.1b and Statistical Package for Social Sciences 10 version. Results: Present study showed that 33 percent of the total respondents were having either form of tobacco (smoke and smokeless). In total, about half of the surveyed population (48 percent) had ever consumed alcohol in their life time. Out of total, 63 percent male and 33 percent female were alcohol consumers. Respondents had low fruit and vegetable intake. In average 2 to 3 days in a week, people took fruits. Study shows that 73.56 percent of male respondents and 90.98 percent of female respondents were inactive. Body Mass Index of men ranged from 22 to 23.62 kg/m2 where as Body Mass Index of women ranged from 23.56 to 26.64 kg/m2 with mean of 22.82 kg/m2 for men and 24.56 kg/m2 for women. Data revealed that 20.29 percent male and 17.35 female were found hypertensive. In this study, only 9.70 percent men had waist hip ratio more than 1 in women 70.68 percent had more than 0.85. Conclusions: There is an urgent need of planning and implementing the effective programmes to reduce the risk factors for non-communicable diseases. Keywords: alcohol; diet; non-communicable diseases; physical activity; physical measures; risk factors; surveillance; tobacco use.