Noncommunicable disease risk factors and predictors of hypertension among Gurkha veterans in Nepal: a community-based cross-sectional study
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
Nepal faces a rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), yet Gurkha veterans—a population with distinct sociocultural backgrounds, occupational exposures, and post-service lifestyle transitions;remain largely overlooked in NCD research. Their increased susceptibility to sedentary behavior and unhealthy dietary habits may contribute to heightened NCD risks. This study assesses key behavioral (smoking, alcohol use, diet, and physical inactivity) and metabolic (obesity, elevated blood pressure) risk factors and identifies predictors of hypertension among Gurkha veterans.
Methods
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Palpa district, Lumbini Province, Nepal, in 2019. A multistage sampling technique was employed to determine the sample size, and a total of 189 Gurkha veterans were interviewed for data collection. Data were analyzed using SAS software (Version 9.4). A Bivariate analysis was conducted to assess the statistical associations among NCD risk factors, followed by multivariable logistic regression to identify independent predictors of hypertension while controlling for potential confounders.
Results
The study revealed a high prevalence of daily alcohol consumption (41.80%), and inadequate fruit intake (89.95%. Likewise, 28.57% of the Gurkha veterans had lower intake of vegetables and 26.98% of them were performing low physical activity of vigorous level. Moreover, 35.98% had overweight and obesity and, nearly half of the participants (47.62%) were hypertensive. Multivariable logistic regression showed that daily alcohol drinkers (AOR: 3.13, 95% CI: 1.56–6.25, p=0.001), those engaging in less than 75 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity (AOR: 4.82, 95% CI: 1.89–12.30, p=0.001), and those with overweight or obese status (AOR: 3.50, 95% CI: 1.70–7.22, p<0.001) had significantly higher odds of having hypertension.
Conclusion
Alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and obesity were the strongest predictors of hypertension among ex-Gurkha soldiers. Given the distinct lifestyle transitions and health challenges faced by this population, targeted early screening, at the community level with a continuum of care and health promotion strategies are essential to mitigate the NCD burden among retired Gurkha soldiers.
Nepal faces a rising burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), yet Gurkha veterans—a population with distinct sociocultural backgrounds, occupational exposures, and post-service lifestyle transitions;remain largely overlooked in NCD research. Their increased susceptibility to sedentary behavior and unhealthy dietary habits may contribute to heightened NCD risks. This study assesses key behavioral (smoking, alcohol use, diet, and physical inactivity) and metabolic (obesity, elevated blood pressure) risk factors and identifies predictors of hypertension among Gurkha veterans.
Methods
A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in Palpa district, Lumbini Province, Nepal, in 2019. A multistage sampling technique was employed to determine the sample size, and a total of 189 Gurkha veterans were interviewed for data collection. Data were analyzed using SAS software (Version 9.4). A Bivariate analysis was conducted to assess the statistical associations among NCD risk factors, followed by multivariable logistic regression to identify independent predictors of hypertension while controlling for potential confounders.
Results
The study revealed a high prevalence of daily alcohol consumption (41.80%), and inadequate fruit intake (89.95%. Likewise, 28.57% of the Gurkha veterans had lower intake of vegetables and 26.98% of them were performing low physical activity of vigorous level. Moreover, 35.98% had overweight and obesity and, nearly half of the participants (47.62%) were hypertensive. Multivariable logistic regression showed that daily alcohol drinkers (AOR: 3.13, 95% CI: 1.56–6.25, p=0.001), those engaging in less than 75 minutes per week of vigorous physical activity (AOR: 4.82, 95% CI: 1.89–12.30, p=0.001), and those with overweight or obese status (AOR: 3.50, 95% CI: 1.70–7.22, p<0.001) had significantly higher odds of having hypertension.
Conclusion
Alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and obesity were the strongest predictors of hypertension among ex-Gurkha soldiers. Given the distinct lifestyle transitions and health challenges faced by this population, targeted early screening, at the community level with a continuum of care and health promotion strategies are essential to mitigate the NCD burden among retired Gurkha soldiers.
Date Issued
2025-05-10
Date Acceptance
2025-04-24
Citation
BMC Public Health, 2025, 25
ISSN
1471-2458
Publisher
BMC
Journal / Book Title
BMC Public Health
Volume
25
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modifed the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
Identifier
10.1186/s12889-025-22919-6
Subjects
Veterans
Ex-Gurkhas
Noncommunicable disease
Hypertension
Nepal
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
1731
Date Publish Online
2025-05-10