Research Article
Socioeconomic Status and Its Relation to Hypertension in Rural Nepal
Table 1
Distribution of sociodemographic, lifestyle, and SES factors by hypertension status.
| | | Total
N = 260 (N) | Normotensive
N = 210 (N%) | Hypertensive
N = 50 (N%) |
| | Gender | | | | | Male | 134 | 102 (76.1) | 32 (23.9) | | Female | 126 | 108 (85.7) | 18 (14.3) | | Age groups (categories) | | 18–34 years | 77 | 67 (87.0) | 10 (13.0) | | 35–49 years | 88 | 70 (79.5) | 18 (20.5) | | 50–65 years | 55 | 45 (81.8) | 10 (18.2) | | 66 years and above | 40 | 28 (70.0) | 12 (30.0) | | Age in years, mean (±SD) | 45 (±16.4) | 44.2 (±16.1) | 50.8 (±16.7) | | Marital status | | Unmarried | 38 | 31 (81.6) | 7 (18.4) | | Married | 222 | 179 (80.6) | 43 (19.4) | | Ethnicity | | Brahmin/Chettri | 173 | 141 (81.5) | 32 (18.5) | | Dalits | 35 | 26 (74.3) | 9 (25.7) | | Others | 52 | 43 (82.7) | 9 (17.3) | | Education | | No formal education | 113 | 94 (83.2) | 19 (16.8) | | Less than high school | 106 | 85 (80.2) | 21 (19.8) | | High school or more | 41 | 31 (75.6) | 10 (24.4) | | Income | | Low income | 87 | 72 (82.8) | 15 (17.2) | | Middle income | 87 | 72 (82.8) | 15 (17.2) | | High income | 86 | 66 (76.7) | 20 (23.3) | | Annual income median (IQR), NRS | 16,733 (35,994) | 16333 (31,833) | 26286 (46,154) | | Employment status | | Unemployed | 59 | 47 (79.7) | 12 (20.3) | | Farming | 128 | 111 (86.7) | 17 (13.3) | | Employed | 73 | 52 (71.2) | 21 (28.8) | | Lifestyle factors | | Tobacco use | | Never | 108 | 88 (81.5) | 20 (18.5) | | Current | 60 | 50 (83.3) | 10 (16.7) | | Former | 92 | 72 (78.3) | 20 (21.7) | | Alcohol intake | | Never | 195 | 158 (81.0) | 37 (19.0) | | Low (<1 glass per week) | 12 | 10 (83.3) | 2 (16.8) | | Moderate (1–3 glass per week) | 14 | 9 (64.3) | 5 (35.7) | | High (>3 glass per week) | 39 | 33 (84.6) | 6 (15.4) | | Physical activity | | MET < 600 min/week | 26 | 18 (69.2) | 8 (30.8) | | MET ≥ 600 min/week | 234 | 192 (82.1) | 42 (17.9) | | Fruits and vegetables servings | | <2 servings per day | 35 | 27 (77.1) | 8 (22.9) | | 2–4 servings per day | 204 | 164 (80.4) | 40 (19.6) | | >4 servings per day | 21 | 19 (90.5) | 2 (9.5) | | Body mass index, kg/m2 | | Under weight (<18.5) | 36 | 32 (88.9) | 4 (11.1) | | Normal weight (18.5–24.9) | 160 | 138 (86.2) | 22 (13.8) | | Overweight (25.0–25.9) | 52 | 33 (63.5) | 19 (36.5) | | Obesity (≥30) | 12 | 7 (58.3) | 5 (41.7) | | BMI, mean (SD) | 22.5 (3.9) | 21.9 (3.54) | 24.9 (4.37) |
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MET is the ratio of the rate of energy expended during an activity to the rate of energy expended at rest. Defined based on the WHO criteria. |
