Epidemiology Unit, Institute of Community and Public Health, Said Khoury Building for Development Studies, Birzeit University, Birzeit, Palestine.
Department of Epidemiology and Population Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, American University of Beirut (AUB), Riad El Solh, Beirut, Lebanon.
Public Health. 2019 Oct;175:36-42. doi: 10.1016/j.puhe.2019.06.007. Epub 2019 Aug 1.
The objective of this study is to map cardiovascular disease (CVD) research productivity in Arab countries and identify gaps and opportunities that would inform future research agenda.
This is a scoping review.
A review of research output between January 2000 and December 2018 in seven Arab countries, selected to represent various economies and epidemiological transitions, was conducted. Data on quantity and quality, study design, setting and focus were extracted and analysed for trends by time and place.
Over the study period, a total of 794 articles were published, with an average of 7.3 publications per million population. While time trends showed a 6-fold increase in the number of publications over the study period, a decreasing trend in mean journal impact factor was noted (from 2.3 in 2000 to 1.5 in 2018). Most studies (71%) were observational, 56% were conducted in medical facilities (hospitals or clinics) and most of the experimental studies (10%) were based in laboratory settings. Behavioural risk factors were addressed in 52% of the studies, and there was a dearth of studies examining associations with diet, physical inactivity or family history.
Findings from this review indicate gaps in robust methods and pertinent themes in CVD research in the Arab region. Greater attention should be paid to high-quality evidence and implementation research. Also, there is a need for a more targeted CVD research agenda that is responsive to local and regional health burden and needs.
本研究旨在绘制阿拉伯国家心血管疾病（CVD）研究成果图谱，并确定差距和机遇，为未来的研究议程提供信息。
这是一个范围界定审查。
对 2000 年 1 月至 2018 年 12 月期间七个阿拉伯国家的研究成果进行了回顾。选择这些国家是为了代表不同的经济和流行病学过渡。提取了关于数量和质量、研究设计、研究地点和重点的数据，并按时间和地点分析了趋势。
在研究期间，共发表了 794 篇文章，平均每百万人口发表 7.3 篇文章。虽然时间趋势显示，在研究期间，发表的文章数量增加了 6 倍，但期刊影响因子的平均值呈下降趋势（从 2000 年的 2.3 降至 2018 年的 1.5）。大多数研究（71%）为观察性研究，56%在医疗机构（医院或诊所）进行，大多数实验研究（10%）基于实验室环境。52%的研究关注行为风险因素，而缺乏研究检查与饮食、身体活动不足或家族史的关联。
本综述的结果表明，阿拉伯地区 CVD 研究在稳健方法和相关主题方面存在差距。应更加关注高质量证据和实施研究。此外，需要制定更有针对性的 CVD 研究议程，以应对当地和区域的健康负担和需求。
