Publications by authors named "Dev Ram Sunuwar"

Background: The high prevalence of osteoporosis has increased the economic burden on the health system globally. The burden of osteoporosis and its associated factors have not been adequately assessed in community settings in the Nepalese context thus far. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of osteoporosis and its associated factors, lifestyle behaviors, and dietary calcium intake.

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Globally, demands for the kidneys have surpassed supply both living and deceased donors. High demands relative to the availability have made the kidney one of the most saleable human organs. The main objective was to explore the drivers of kidney selling.

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Background: Nutrition education is being used to encourage school adolescents to adopt healthy eating habits. To the best of our knowledge, very little study has been undertaken in Nepal to examine the effectiveness of nutrition education programs. This study aimed to assess the effect of nutrition education on nutritional knowledge, attitude, and diet quality among school-going adolescents in selected private schools in Nepal.

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Background: Nutrition education and counselling are considered a cornerstone for the management of type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, there is limited research related to the management of T2D through dietary approach, particularly in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs) like Nepal. This study assessed the effectiveness of a dietician-led dietary intervention in reducing glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) levels among people with T2D.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to surging concerns about food insecurity status throughout the world. In response to global and national concerns on food and nutrition security, this study aimed to examine the prevalence and determining factors of household food insecurity and dietary diversity among people from selected rural municipalities of Lalitpur district, Nepal.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 432 households.

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Background: Parental knowledge about sexual and reproductive health issues and adequate communication with their adolescent on these issues are crucial in promoting adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Although there are evidence on adolescent perceptions of their sexual health issues, research on parental perspectives of adolescent sexual health and parent-adolescent communication about sexual health issues in Nepal remains unexplored. Therefore, this study aimed to assess parental knowledge and communication practice about sexual and reproductive health with their adolescent children in Lalitpur Metropolitan City of Nepal.

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Introduction: Good nutrition knowledge and nutrient intake have been regarded as significant determinants in enhancing athletes' performance and overall health status. This study aimed to assess knowledge, attitude, and practices of nutrition and dietary intake among athletes.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2022 among national athletes from two sports clubs in Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Nepal.

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Kidney selling is a global phenomenon engraved by poverty and governance in low-income countries with the higher-income countries functioning as recipients and the lower-income countries as donors. Over the years, an increasing number of residents in a village near the capital city of Nepal have sold their kidneys. This study aims to explore the drivers of kidney selling and its consequences using ethnographic methods and multi-stakeholder consultations.

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Background: Plantar fasciitis (PF) is a common orthopaedic problem, with heel pain worsening the quality of life. Although steroid injection is often used if the conservative treatment fails, Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) injection is gaining popularity due to its safety and long-lasting effect. However, the effect of PRP versus steroid injection in PF has not been studied yet in Nepal.

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Background: Child feeding practices during the first two years of life are crucial to ensure good health and nutrition status. This study aimed to assess the factors influencing inappropriate child feeding practices in children aged 6 - 23 months in families receiving nutrition allowance in the remote Mugu district, Nepal.

Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 318 mothers who had children aged 6 - 23 months of age in the seven randomly selected wards.

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Background: South and Southeast Asian countries (SSEA) account for the highest burden of anemia globally, nonetheless, progress towards the decline of anemia has almost been stalled. This study aimed to explore the individual and community- level factors associated with childhood anemia across the six selected SSEA countries.

Methods: Demographic and Health Surveys of SSEA countries (Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Maldives, Myanmar, and Nepal) conducted between 2011 and 2016 were analyzed.

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Background: Maternal hemoglobin during pregnancy is an important predictor of neonatal outcomes such as birth weight. The newborn weight of an infant is considered a crucial factor for morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to assess the association between maternal hemoglobin concentration and newborn weight at term pregnancy.

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Background: Optimum dietary intake and adequate nutritional knowledge have been recognized as the key factors that play a critical role in improving the athlete's health and nutrition status. This study aimed to measure the association of nutritional knowledge, practice, supplement use, and nutrient intake with strength performance among Nepalese Taekwondo players.

Methods: Between August 2019 and January 2020, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 293 Taekwondo players in Kathmandu Metropolitan City (mean age, 18 years; 63.

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Background: Femur fracture is a major burden among elderly people, leading patients to be bedridden for a long time in the hospital. The body is more likely to be in a catabolic state as a result of the prolonged fasting period required for surgery, leading to an increase in insulin resistance. Pre-operative carbohydrate loading has been shown to improve postoperative outcomes in several countries.

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Background: Food insecurity is a serious social and public health problem which is exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic especially in resource-poor countries such as Nepal. However, there is a paucity of evidence at local levels. This study aims to explore food insecurity among people from the disadvantaged community and low-income families during the COVID-19 pandemic in Province-2 of Nepal.

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Nepal suffers from high burden of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) due to inappropriate use of antibiotics. The main objective of this study was to explore knowledge, attitude and practices of antibiotics uses among patients, healthcare workers, laboratories, drug sellers and farmers in eight districts of Nepal. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between April and July 2017.

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Background: Overweight/obesity among adolescents is an emerging public health issue worldwide. However, the evidence on the determinants of body weight status and lifestyle behaviors among Nepalese adolescents is limited. This study aims to explore the sleep characteristics, dietary habits, and physical activity and its association with body mass index (BMI) among Nepalese adolescents.

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Background: Dietary diversity can play an important role in providing essential nutrients for both mother and fetus during pregnancy. This study aimed to assess the factors associated with dietary diversity during pregnancy in the western hill region of Nepal.

Methods: A cross-sectional study of 327 pregnant women was conducted in an urban municipality of Baglung district in the western hill region of Nepal.

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Objective: The main objective of this study was to explore the factors affecting anaemia among women of reproductive age (WRA) in Nepal using spatial and multilevel epidemiological analysis.

Design: This cross-sectional study analysed data from the 2016 Nepal Demographic and Health Survey. Spatial analysis was performed using ArcGIS software V.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed unprecedented challenges and threats to the health care system, particularly affecting the effective delivery of essential health services in resource-poor countries such as Nepal. This study aimed to explore community perceptions of COVID-19 and their experiences towards health services utilization during the pandemic in Province-2 of Nepal.

Methods: The semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted among purposively selected participants (n = 41) from a mix of rural and urban settings in all districts (n = 8) of the Province 2 of Nepal.

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Background: Postpartum depression is the most common mental health problem among women of childbearing age in resource-poor countries. Poor maternal mental health is linked with both acute and chronic negative effects on the growth and development of the child. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among postpartum mothers in the lowland region in southern Nepal.

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Background: Anemia remains a major public health challenge with high prevalence among women in South and Southeast Asian countries. Reductions in anemia rates have been stalled, despite the implementation of different maternal health and nutrition programs. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and factors associated with anemia among women of reproductive age in seven selected South and Southeast Asian countries.

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Objectives: Gastric cancer (GC) is one of the most prevalent neoplasms and a leading cause of mortality globally. To our knowledge, its relationship with dietary factors is not adequately studied and understood in the Nepalese context. This study is aimed at exploring the relationship between the possible dietary risk factors responsible for gastric cancer in Nepal.

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The objective of the study was to assess the knowledge and perception of COVID-19 and relevant universal safety measures among the Nepalese population. A web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among Nepalese adults from March 29 to April 07, 2020. A 13- and 15- items structured questionnaire assessed the COVID-19 related knowledge and perception of the universal safety measure.

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