| Summary: | Background
Smokeless
Tobacco (SLT) is increasingly becoming a global menace, though the greatest
burden of its use is borne by South-East Asia region. Though extensive research
has been conducted on various aspects of SLT use and its effects, no effort has
yet been undertaken to consolidate this data and identify the still-under
researched areas in this field.
This study was aimed
at identification of the degree of collaboration between scientists involved in
SLT research and the areas receiving thrust of scientific interest so far. The
final aim was to identify the research gaps for better policy impact
assessments
Methods
Data
about research in SLT were collected from PubMed database using inbuilt query
and MESH Terms. Data was extracted in XML format and parsed into database using
Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP). Networks were designed where node represented
unique authors and edges represented degree of collaborations between them. Also,
quantum of research in various aspects of SLT was identified using MESH terms.
Results
Data
of 2094 records was analyzed. The highest number of paired collaborative
research using author identifier was found in Pakistan (4) followed by United
States of America (3).
Maximum
number of articles were devoted to epidemiology of SLT use (925) and adverse
effects of these products (1017) while least research has been conducted on
economics of SLT (47). Trend analysis revealed that epidemiological research on SLT
gained momentum significantly after 2005.
Conclusions
The
present analysis, first of its kind in the field of SLT, highlights the paucity
of research studies on important topic like economic costs and alternative
strategies are vital for policy makers to implement SLT control. We would like
to suggest formation of core research groups in high-burden countries dedicated
to important aspects of SLT.
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