2026
Journal of Nepal Health Research Council 23(4)
March 2026
Cross-sectional survey of 371 pregnant women at antenatal clinics in eastern Kathmandu (February–March 2025). 56.1% had low knowledge of infant feeding practice, and lower knowledge was concentrated among women under 21 and those without formal schooling. Attitudes were far better than knowledge: 93.2% intended to breastfeed exclusively and 98.4% considered immunization safe.
Santosh Adhikari, Tribhuwan Bhattarai, Prakriti Karki, Kshitij Kunwar, Ramesh Dhakal, Lok Raj Bhatta, Sabin Rimal, Manisha Gaire, Raj Kumar Nepal, Srijana Bhattarai, Praveen Suthar
2025
PLOS One 20(12)
December 2025
Cross-sectional study of 333 government employees in Tilottama Municipality, Rupandehi (June–November 2023), using systematic random sampling. Examined prehypertension as an early marker, given night shifts and limited mobility as occupational exposures in this workforce.
Sheetal Bhandari, Paras Kumar Pokharel, Ashmita Maharjan, Manish Rajbanshi, Kshitij Kunwar, Jwala Subedi, Anup Poudel, Suman Bahadur Singh, Vijay Kumar Khanal, Gyanu Nepal Gurung
BMJ Public Health 3(2)
October 2025
Two-stage cluster survey of 630 students in grades 8–10 across 20 schools in Rapti-Sonari, Banke (April–May 2022), using the Nepal GSHS instrument. 98.4% fell short on fruit and vegetable intake and 83.8% on physical activity; 29.0% drank alcohol and 8.1% smoked. Alcohol use tracked with male sex, Tharu ethnicity, and monthly pocket money above NPR 500.
Bigyan Subedi, Paras Modi Pangeni, Shrija Rijal, Prashanna Man Maharjan, Manish Rajbanshi, Kshitij Kunwar, Lokendra Oli, Khem B Karki
2024
Vaccine: X 21
December 2024
Exit interviews with parents at the Kanti Children’s Hospital site of the OCV-S oral cholera vaccine trial. Improving the child’s health was the dominant motive (56.2%), followed by preventing cholera (13.6%); 74.8% described the trial experience as positive. Parents given specific rather than general study information were significantly more positive (AOR 1.97, 95% CI 1.03–3.72). Collaboration: International Vaccine Institute, Korea.
Ram Hari Chapagain, Santosh Adhikari, Kshitij Kunwar, Prabhat Thapa, Jessica Maharjan, Bishnu Rath Giri, Nisha Jyoti Shrestha, Anil Kumar Shrestha, Sanjeet Kumar Shrestha, Suresh Man Tamang, Deok Ryun Kim, Tarun Saluja, Anh Wartel, Julia Lynch, Katerina Rok Song
JNMA (Journal of the Nepal Medical Association) 62(274)
May 2024
Face-to-face interviews with 340 pregnant women in their second or third trimester at an antenatal clinic (October–November 2023). Only 1.76% had heard of RSV beforehand, rising to 95.59% aware of its impact after a brief explanation in Nepali. 72.35% said they would accept a maternal RSV vaccine for themselves rather than vaccinate their child.
Santosh Adhikari, Ram Hari Chapagain, Jessica Maharjan, Kshitij Kunwar, Sudip Pudasaini, Pramod Singh, Abhiyan Gautam, Tribhuwan Bhattarai, Srijana Bhattarai
PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases 18(5)
May 2024
Web-based cross-sectional study of 429 non-health undergraduates at eleven Nepali universities, 80% of them from the four largest, recruited mainly through social media. Assessed dengue knowledge, attitudes and practice as an emerging disease in Nepal; analysed in IBM SPSS 20.
Sheetal Bhandari, Manish Rajbanshi, Nabin Adhikari, Richa Aryal, Kshitij Kunwar, Rajan Paudel
Journal of Nepal Health Research Council 21(4)
March 2024
Cross-sectional survey of 303 people who received COVID-19 vaccination under the national campaign. 43.89% reported at least one side effect after dose one and 21.48% after dose two; 17% had been infected in the preceding three months. Documented real-world safety experience for both COVISHIELD and VERO CELL.
Santosh Adhikari, Jessica Maharjan, Sushan Bhattarai, Kshitij Kunwar, Sumit Agrawal, Raj Kumar Dangal, Ram Hari Chapagain, Tek Bahadur Bista, Srijana Bhattarai
2023
Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics 19(2)
August 2023
Operational account of running a phase III paediatric vaccine trial through the pandemic at Kanti Children’s Hospital, with the International Vaccine Institute (IVI), Seoul. Focuses on enrolment and retention under infection-control constraints in a low-resource setting.
Ram Hari Chapagain, Jessica Maharjan, Santosh Adhikari, Prabhat Thapa, Kshitij Kunwar, Bishnu Rath Giri, Nisha Jyoti Shrestha, Anil Kumar Shrestha, Sanjeet Kumar Shrestha, Suresh Man Tamang, Haeun Cho, Eun Lyeong Park, Jiyoung Lee, Jinae Lee, Deok Ryun Kim, Jae Seung Yang, Tarun Saluja, Anh Wartel, Julia Lynch, Katerina Rok Song
PLOS Global Public Health 3(2)
February 2023
Nineteen telephone interviews, purposively sampled across six urban wards of Pokhara and four rural municipalities in Kaski. Examined perceived pandemic burden and the contribution people expected vaccines to make, in a setting facing both limited supply and low uptake.
Preeti Mahato, Bipin Adhikari, Sujan Babu Marahatta, Susagya Bhusal, Kshitij Kunwar, Rajesh Kumar Yadav, Sushila Baral, Anisha Adhikari, Edwin van Teijlingen
