Background: Obesity and type-2 diabetes are among the top five risk factors for
cardiovascular (CVD) deaths in the world, and their prevalence is rising in Nepal. These
diseases result from the interaction of genetic, environmental and nutritional factors.
Reducing obesity and diabetes through nutritional modification holds great promise as a
strategy to prevent CVD deaths.
Objectives: This dissertation aimed to assess relative validity and reproducibility of a
food frequency questionnaire (FFQ); use the FFQ data to derive major dietary patterns;
and to investigate the relationship of the derived dietary patterns with overweight,
obesity, and type-2 diabetes in a suburban community of Nepal.