P192 PREVALENCE OF HYPERTENSION AND ITS ASSOCIATED FACTORS AMONG PUBLIC VEHICLE DRIVERS IN POKHARA, NEPAL

Introduction: Hypertension, defined as >=140/90 mm Hg or currently taking antihypertensive medicine, is a major public health concern globally, affecting individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and lifestyles. Occupational risk factors associated with hypertension are poorly studied in the context of Nepal, drivers could be at a higher risk of hypertension because of multiple shift work, stress, inactivity, and poor diet. Methodology This cross-sectional study recruited 358 public vehicle drivers from Pokhara Metropolitan City of Nepal. The WHO STEPS questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence of hypertension. Data were entered into REDCap software and analyzed by using SPSS. The chi-square test and binary logistic regression were applied to identify hypertension-related factors. Results: The mean age of the participants was 37.3 ±8.5 years, and all of them were male. The prevalence of hypertension was found to be 41.9%. Using the chi-square test, hypertension was found to be associated with age, lower education, being married, tobacco consumption, age of smoking initiation, alcohol consumption, binge alcohol intake, lower physical activity, obesity, duration of driving, and service. However, when using binary logistic regression, the association was found only with age (OR=0.353; 95% CI: 0.183 to 0.680) and obesity (OR=0.429; 95% CI: 0.234 to 0.783). Conclusion: This study concludes that nearly two-fifths of drivers had hypertension, which is higher than the prevalence in the general population. The research highlights the need to focus on risk factors associated with hypertension among public vehicle drivers in Pokhara, Nepal.