Anaemia in Children and Adolescents: A Bibliometric Analysis of BRICS Countries (1990-2020)

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Brazil, Russia, India China and South Africa have prioritized cooperation regarding health, including malnutrition. Anaemia in children, adolescents and women of reproductive age has been on the increase in these countries, placing a huge strain on healthcare systems. This study aimed to map the scientific perspective and research publications on anaemia in children and adolescents in the BRICS countries.

METHODS

Bibliometric analyses were employed to map scientific publications related to anaemia in children and adolescents in BRICS countries using VOSviewer software. Research documents from 1990 to 2020 were imported from PubMed. Descriptive statistics was used to analyse trends in research publications, authorship and keywords over the 30-year period.

FINDINGS

BRICS countries accounted for 15% of all publications on the subject within the last three decades. While India had the highest number of publications, China had the author with the highest number of research publications and co-authorship links. Of all article types, India had the highest number of letters, while China and South Africa published the highest number of RCT/clinical trial and review articles, respectively.

CONCLUSION

The review of all scientific studies on anaemia in BRICS nations for the past 30 years revealed gaps in research collaborations on anaemia between authors in BRICS nations. However, collaborative research projects may contribute to building a shared base of evidence, innovations, data and methodologies for a more comprehensive understanding of the risks and vulnerabilities of child and adolescent anaemia. This will aid in the development and evaluation of interventions and policies to alleviate anaemia and nutrient deficiencies.

Funding for cerebral palsy research in Australia, 2000-2015: an observational study

OBJECTIVES

To examine the funding for cerebral palsy (CP) research in Australia, as compared with the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

DESIGN

Observational study.

SETTING

For Australia, philanthropic funding from Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Foundation (CPARF) (2005-2015) was compared with National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC, 2000-2015) and Australian Research Council (ARC, 2004-2015) and CPARF and NHMRC funding were compared with NIH funding (USA).

PARTICIPANTS

Cerebral Palsy researchers funded by CPARF, NHMRC or NIH.

RESULTS

Over 10 years, total CPARF philanthropic funding was $21.9 million, including people, infrastructure, strategic and project support. As competitive grants, CPARF funded $11.1 million, NHMRC funded $53.5 million and Australian Research Council funded $1.5 million. CPARF, NHMRC and NIH funding has increased in real terms, but only the NIH statistically significantly increased in real terms (mean annual increase US$4.9 million per year, 95% CI 3.6 to 6.2, p<0.001). The NHMRC budget allocated to CP research remained steady over time at 0.5%. A network analysis indicated the relatively small number of CP researchers in Australia is mostly connected through CPARF or NHMRC funding.

CONCLUSIONS

Funding for CP research from the Australian government schemes has stabilised and CP researchers rely on philanthropic funding to fill this gap. In comparison, the NIH is funding a larger number of CP researchers and their funding pattern is consistently increasing.