WORLDWIDE ALCOHOL-RELATED RESEARCH AND THE DISEASE BURDEN R. RAJENDRAM1, G. LEWISON2,* and V. R. PREEDY1
1 Nutritional Sciences Research Division, School of Life Sciences, King's College London, Franklin-Wilkins Building, 150 Stamford Street, London SE1 8WA, UK and 2 Department of Information Science, City University, London EC1V 0HB, UK
* Author to whom correspondence should be addressed at: Tel.: +44 (0)20 7040 0214; Fax: +44 (0)20 7040 8584; E-mail: g.lewison@soi.city.ac.uk
Aims:
The purpose of this study was to determine the international commitment to alcohol-related research relative to its global burden of disease, which is 4% of disability adjusted life years (DALYs).
Methods:
The worldwide literature indexed in the Science Citation Index® and the Social Sciences Citation Index® during 1992–2003 was analysed using advanced bibliometric techniques.
Results:
Biomedical research and the global disease burden due to alcohol both increased during 1992–2003, whilst the number of papers from alcohol-related research remained static and declined to <0.7%>
Conclusions:
The global commitment to alcohol-related research is only one-sixth of that warranted by the burden of disease due to alcohol. Most such research is conducted in the developed world but is still less than that appropriate to the regional burden of disease. There is a need for more interest in alcohol-related research in the developing world, particularly in Latin America and
The global commitment to alcohol-related research is only one-sixth of that warranted by the burden of disease due to alcohol. Most such research is conducted in the developed world but is still less than that appropriate to the regional burden of disease. There is a need for more interest in alcohol-related research in the developing world, particularly in Latin America and
Eastern Europe in view of their high burden of disease due to alcohol.
Contributor: Prasantha De Silva
