• Bikram Poudel, Kiran Paudel, Bikram Adhikari, Rajan Paudel, Sandesh Bhusal, Nabin Adhikari, Tara Ballav Adhikari, Vishnu Prasad Sapkota, and Roman Shrestha.
• Central Department of Public Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal.
• Medicine (Baltimore). 2024 Apr 5; 103 (14): e37746e37746.

AbstractFour noncommunicable diseases (NCDs): cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes, account for 71% of global deaths. However, little is known about the NCDs risk profile of sexual and gender minorities (SGMs). This study aimed to determine the prevalence of NCDs risk factors among the SGMs of Kathmandu valley, Nepal. A cross-sectional study was conducted among SGMs in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal. We recruited 140 participants using the snowball sampling method. A face-to-face interview was done using a structured questionnaire adapted from World Health Organization Step Wise Approach to Surveillance (STEPS instruments V2.2 2019) along with blood pressure and anthropometric measurements. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS.v20). More than two-thirds of the participants, 96 (68.6%), had co-occurrence of NCDs risk factors. The prevalence of insufficient fruits and vegetables consumption, current smoking, harmful alcohol consumption, overweight/obesity, and hypertension were 95.7%, 40.0%, 32.9%, 28.5%, and 28.6%, respectively. There was a significant association between hypertension, harmful alcohol consumption, and overweight/obesity with the participants' age, employment status, and marital status, respectively. Study findings indicated a higher prevalence of NCDs risk factors among SGMs. National-level NCDs surveillance, policy planning, prevention, and targeted health interventions should prioritize the SGMs.Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.

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