Background: Socioeconomic status (SES) is an important determinant of health
outcomes, but more research is needed to improve our understanding of the
relationship between SES, behavior and health, particularly in low- and middle-income
countries (LMICs). Efforts to improve our understanding are limited by the difficulty of
measuring economic status in low-resource settings where income may be seasonal
and informal employment is common. The debate over how to accurately measure
economic wellbeing is pertinent in Nepal, where more than 25% of the population lives
in poverty and subsistence farming is an important source of livelihood. Additionally,
studies suggest a growing burden of noncommunicable disease (NCDs) in Nepal, many
of which are impacted by behavioral risk factors.
Objectives: This study aimed to construct an asset-based wealth index to estimate
household wealth; and to develop and test prediction models for tobacco use and
physical activity in a community-based sample of adults in Dhulikhel, central Nepal.