Risk Factors of Non-communicable Diseases among Undergraduate Students: Evidence from Pokhara Metropolitan City, Nepal

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally, accounting for 41 million deaths annually, or about 74% of all deaths. Various behavioural and metabolic risk factors contribute to the development of NCDs. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of NCD-related risk factors among undergraduate students. A cross-sectional study was conducted among students studying in community colleges of Pokhara Metropolitan City. A probability multistage sampling technique was used to select 172 participants. Data were collected by the researcher using a structured self-reporting tool based on the WHO STEPS Survey (version 3.2). The data were entered into EpiData version 3.1 and exported to SPSS version 16 for analysis. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used to determine the prevalence of risk factors, while the Chi-square test assessed associations. The mean age of respondents was 20.97±1.42 years, with females forming the majority and most respondents being unmarried. Behavioural risk factors included tobacco use (2.3%), alcohol consumption (9.3%), inadequate fruit and vegetable intake (91.9%), and physical inactivity (9.9%). Biological risk factors showed that 5.2% were hypertensive and 19.8% were overweight or obese. Alcohol consumption and hypertension were significantly higher among males ( (cid:114) =0.001), while overweight and obesity were more common among Janajati, Dalit, and Madheshi ethnic groups ( (cid:114) =0.014). The study concludes that NCD risk factors are prevalent among undergraduate students.