Dr. Rajesh Kumar Rai

Former Research Associate & Doctoral Student
Chair of Development Economics / CeMIS, Prof. Dr. Sebastian Vollmer

• Rai RK, Subramanian SV, Vollmer S (accepted) Association of parental characteristics with offspring anthropometric failure, anaemia, and mortality in India. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications


• Rai RK, De Neve JW, Geldsetzer P, Vollmer S. (2021) Maternal iron-and-folic-acid supplementation and association with low-birth weight and neonatal mortality in India. Public Health Nutrition, 1-29.


• Rai, R., Kumar, S., Parasannanavar, D., Khandelwal, S., & Rajkumar, H. (2021). Tipping the scale: the role of a national nutritional supplementation programme for pregnant mothers in reducing low birth weight and neonatal mortality in India. British Journal of Nutrition, 1-9


• Rai, R. K. (2020) Iron-and-folic-acid supplementation among adolescents (aged 10–19 years) in two North Indian States, 2015–2016: a sex-stratified analysis. Public Health Nutrition, 57(8): 1-6


• Rai, R. K., Kumar, C., Singh, L., Singh, P. K., Acharya, S. K. and Singh, S. (2021) Rising burden of overweight and obesity among Indian adults: empirical insights for public health preparedness. Journal of Biosocial Science., 53(5): 709–723


• Rai RK, Bromage S, Fawzi WW (2021) Receipt of Weekly Iron Supplementation among Indian Children, 2005-2016.. Current developments in nutrition, 5(3)


• Rai, R. K., Barik, A., Mazumdar, S., Chatterjee, K., Kalkonde, Y. V., Mathur, P., Chowdhury, A., & Fawzi, W. W. (2020) Non-communicable diseases are the leading cause of mortality in rural Birbhum, West Bengal, India: a sex-stratified analysis of verbal autopsies from a prospective cohort, 2012-2017. BMJ open, 10(10)


• Singh PK, Singh L, Kumar C, Dubey R, Rai RK, Singh S (2020) Examining public health interventions to improve maternal nutrition during pregnancy: a nationally representative study of Iron Folic Acid consumption and food supplementation in India. Public Health Nutrition. (accepted for publication)


• Sudfeld CR, Rai RK, Barik A, Valadez JJ, Fawzi WW (2020) Population-level effective coverage of adolescent weekly iron folic acid supplementation is low in rural West Bengal, India. Public Health Nutrition. (accepted for publication)


• Darling AM, Fawzi WW, Barik A, Chowdhury A, Rai RK (2020) Double burden of malnutrition among adolescents in rural West Bengal, India. Nutrition, DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2020.110809


• Rai RK, Kumar C, Singh PK, Singh L, Barik A, Chowdhury A (2020) Incidence of prehypertension and hypertension in rural India, 2012-2018: a sex-stratified population-based prospective cohort study. American Journal of Hypertension, DOI: 10.1093/ajh/hpaa034


• Rai RK, Sudfeld CR, Barik A, Fawzi WW, Chowdhury A (2019) Socio-demographic determinants of preterm birth and small-for-gestational age in rural West Bengal, India. Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, 65(6): 537-546


• Singh L, Goel R, Rai RK, Singh PK (2018) Socioeconomic inequality in functional deficiencies and chronic diseases among older Indian adults: a sex-stratified cross-sectional decomposition Analysis. BMJ Open, 9(2): e022787


• Rai RK, Jaacks LM, Bromage S, Barik A. Fawzi WW, Chowdhury A (2018) Prospective cohort study of overweight and obesity among rural Indian adults: socio-demographic predictors of prevalence, incidence, and remission. BMJ Open, 8(8): e021363


• Singh PK, Rai RK, Singh S, Singh L (2018) Rising caesarean births - a growing concern. Economic & Political Weekly, 53(26-17): 22-24


• Rai RK, Fawzi WW, Barik A, Chowdhury A (2018) The burden of iron-deficiency anaemia among women in India: how have iron and folic acid interventions fared? WHO South-East Asia Journal of Public Health, 7(1): 18-23


• Rai RK, Fawzi WW, Bromage S, Barik A. Chowdhury A (2018) Underweight among rural Indian adults: burden, and predictors of incidence and recovery. Public Health Nutrition, 21(4):669-678


• Barik A, Das K, Chowdhury A, Rai RK (2018) Metabolic syndrome among rural Indian adults. Clinical Nutrition ESPEN, 23: 129-135


• Gorain A, Barik A, Chowdhury A, Rai RK (2017) Preference in place of delivery among rural Indian women. PLoS One, 12(12): e0190117


• Sekher M, Parasuraman S, Pritchard B, Kumar SS, Rai RK (2017) Empowering people to power the Public Distribution System: a process mapping analysis of six Indian states. Economic & Political Weekly, 52 (51): 97-107


• Barik A, Rai RK (2017) Catch them young: grooming a new generation of physicians in India. Journal of Public Health (Springer), 25(5): 461–463


• Barik A, Sarkhel S, Basu S, Chowdhury A, Rai RK (2017) Probable psychiatric disorder in a rural community of West Bengal, India. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52 (12): 1495-1500


• Rai RK (2017) Do the sex composition of living children and the desire for additional children affect future intention to use contraception in Ethiopia? Journal of Biosocial Science, 49 (6): 757-772


• Rai RK (2017) Decline in contraceptive use in India: a call for action. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 14: 13-16


• Rai RK, Tulchinsky TH (2017) India’s pathetic public health situation. Economic & Political Weekly, 52(44): 4


• Rai RK, Singh L, Singh PK (2017) Is maternal body mass index associated with neonatal mortality? a pooled analysis of nationally representative data from nine Asian countries. Nutrition, 41: 68-72


• Rai RK, Tulchinsky TH (2017) India badly needs public health education. Economic & Political Weekly, 52(27): 37-39


• Rai RK, Luo J, Tulchinsky TH (2017) Vitamin K supplementation to prevent hemorrhagic morbidity and mortality of newborns in India and China. World Journal of Pediatrics, 13(1): 15-19


• Barik A, Shah R, Spillahari A, Murthy VL, Ambale-Venkatesh B, Rai RK, Das K, Santra A, Hembram JR, Bhattacharya D, Freedman J, Lima J, Das R, Bhattacharyya P, Das S, Chowdhury A (2016) Hepatic steatosis is associated with cardiometabolic risk in a rural Indian population: a prospective cohort study. International Journal of Cardiology, 225:161-166


• Lytton ME, Collin RW, Rai RK (2016) Ambient air pollution from urban transport in India. Economic & Political Weekly, 51 (41): 46-53


• Kumar C. Singh PK, Singh L, Rai RK (2016) Socioeconomic disparities in coverage of full immunization among children of adolescent mothers in India, 1990-2006: a repeated cross-sectional analysis. BMJ Open, 6(8): e009768


• Barik A, Mazumdar S, Chowdhury A, Rai RK (2016) Physiological and behavioural risk factors of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in rural India. BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, 4(1): e000255


• Kumar S, Rai RK (2015) Role of India’s Anganwadi centre in securing food and nutrition for mothers and children. Journal of Agriculture & Food Information, 16 (2): 174-182


• Barik A, Rai RK, Chowdhury A (2016) Tobacco use and self-reported morbidity among rural Indian adults. Primary Health Care Research & Development, 17(5): 514-523


• Rai RK, Singh PK, Kumar C (2016) Is the use of maternal healthcare among prospective mothers higher in households that have experienced maternal death? Evidence from India. Health Policy & Planning, 31(7): 844-852


• Barik A, Rai RK, Gorain A, Majumdar S, Chowdhury A (2016) Socio-economic disparities in tobacco consumption in rural India: evidence from a Health and Demographic Surveillance System. Perspectives in Public Health, 136 (5): 278-287


• Barik A, Rai RK, Chowdhury A (2016) Alcohol use-related problems among a rural Indian population of West Bengal: an application of the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Alcohol & Alcoholism, 51 (2): 215-223


• Rai RK (2015) Utilization of maternal health care services by Muslim women in India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, 2005-2007. Journal of Public Health (Springer), 23(1):37-48


• Rai RK, Singh PK (2015) No incentive for postnatal care in IGMSY. Perspectives in Public Health, 135 (2): 73-74


• Rai RK (2015) Factors Associated with nutritional status among adult women in urban India, 1998-2006. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 27(2): NP1241–NP1252


• Rai RK (2015) Future intention of contraceptive use among Comorian women, 2012. Journal of Public Health (Springer), 23(5): 289-296


• Rai RK, Kumar S, Sekher M, Pritchard B, Rammohan A (2015) A life-cycle approach to food and nutrition security in India. Public Health Nutrition, 18(5): 944-949


• Rai RK, Tulchinsky TH (2015) Addressing the sluggish progress in reducing maternal mortality in India. Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health, 27(2): NP1161–NP1169


• Rai RK, Singh PK, Singh L, Kumar C (2014) Individual characteristics and use of maternal and child health services by adolescent mothers in Niger. Maternal & Child Health Journal, 18(3): 592-603


• Rai RK (2014) Tracking women and children in a continuum of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, and Child Healthcare (RMNCH) in India. Journal of Epidemiology & Global Health, 4(3): 239-243


• Singh PK, Kumar C, Rai RK, Singh L (2014) Factors associated with maternal healthcare service utilization in nine high focus states in India: a multilevel analysis based on 14385 communities in 292 districts. Health Policy & Planning, 29(5): 242-259


• Singh PK, Rai RK, Kumar C (2013) Equity in maternal, newborn, and child health care coverage in India. Global Health Action, 6: 22217


• Kumar C, Rai RK, Singh PK (2013) Reducing infant (0-11 months) and child (0-4 years) mortality in India: a disposition from the Sample Registration System. Journal of Public Health (Springer), 21(6): 575-582


• Kumar C, Rai RK, Singh PK, Singh L (2013) Socioeconomic disparities in maternity care among Indian adolescents, 1990-2006. PLoS One, 8(7): e69094


• Singh L, Arokiasamy P, Singh PK, Rai RK (2013) Determinants of gender differences in self-rated health among older population: evidence from India. SAGE Open, 3(2): 2158244013487914


• Rai RK, Unisa S (2013) Dynamics of contraceptive use in India: apprehension versus future intention among non-users and traditional method users. Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare, 4(2): 65-72


• Rai RK, Singh PK, Kumar C, Singh L (2013) Factors associated with the utilization of maternal health care services among adolescent women in Malawi. Home Health Care Services Quarterly, 32(2):106-125


• Kumar C, Singh PK, Rai RK (2013) Coverage gap in maternal and child health services in India: assessing trends and regional deprivation during 1992-2006. Journal of Public Health, 35(4): 598-606


• Kumar C, Singh PK, Rai RK, Singh L (2013) Early neonatal mortality in India, 1990-2006. Journal of Community Health. 2013; 38(1):120-130 PMID: 22797909. Erratum to: Early neonatal mortality in India, 1990-2006. Journal of Community Health, 38(1):131-132


• Singh PK, Rai RK, Alagarajan M (2013) Addressing maternal and child health in post-conflict Afghanistan: the way forward. WHO Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 19(9): 826-832


• Rai RK, Singh PK, Kumar C, Parasuraman S (2013) Teenage childbearing- a growing public health concern in need of urgent policy and program action. Journal of Public Health (Springer), 21(4): 379-384


• Singh PK, Singh L, Kumar C, Rai RK (2013) Correlates of maternal healthcare service utilisation among adolescent women in Mali: analysis of a nationally representative cross-sectional survey, 2006. Journal of Public Health (Springer), 21(1): 15-27


• Rai RK, Kumar C, Singh PK (2012) District level coverage gap in maternal, newborn and child health care services in India. Journal of Epidemiology & Global Health, 2(4): 221-224


• Singh PK, Rai RK, Singh L (2012) Examining the effect of household wealth and migration status on safe delivery care in urban India. PLoS One, 7(9): e44901


• Rai RK, Singh PK, Singh L (2012) Utilization of maternal health care services among married adolescent women: insights from the Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey, 2008. Women's Health Issues, 22(4): e407-e414


• Kumar C, Singh PK, Rai RK (2012) Under-five mortality in high focus states in India: a district level geospatial analysis. PLoS One, 7(5): e37515


• Singh PK, Rai RK, Alagarajan M, Singh L (2012) Determinants of maternity care services utilization among married adolescents in rural India. PLoS One, 7(2): e31666


• Singh L, Rai RK, Singh PK (2012) Assessing the utilization of maternal and child health care among married adolescent women: evidence from India. Journal of Biosocial Science 44(1): 1-26


• Singh PK, Alagarajan M, Rai RK, Singh L (2011) Does education lead to contraceptive use? a study of sexually experienced unmarried men in India. Research on Humanities & Social Sciences, 1(4): 23-32


• Rai RK, Unisa S (2009) Living arrangement and health status of widows in India. pp. 229-245 in Population, Gender and Health in India - Methods, Processes and Policies, (edited) James KS, Pandey A, Bansod DW, Subaiya L. New Delhi: Academic Foundation