638 - Pediatric global health abstracts: Presented but not published

Sunday, April 30, 2023

3:30 PM – 6:00 PM ET

Poster Number: 638
Publication Number: 638.316

Catherine R. Shari, MUHIMBILI UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH AND ALLIED SCIENCES, DAR ES SALAAM, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Tory Prynn, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States; Sarah Mohammedahmed Abbas, Not applicable, Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan; Thomas Q. Davis, Emory University, Decatur, GA, United States; Jeesoo Lee, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States; Gandolina Melhem, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States; Hussein K. Manji, The Aga Khan Hospital, Dar-es-salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Brittany L.. Murray, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States; Richard Onyando, Kenya Medical Research Institute , Center for Global Health Research, Kisumu, Nyanza, Kenya; Shayli Patel, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States; Stephanie Sirna, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Adrianna Westbrook, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States; Chidiebere V. Ugwu, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States; Karim P. Manji, MUHAS, Dar-es-Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; Chris A. Rees, Emory University School of Medicine, ATLANTA, GA, United States

Presenting Author(s)

Chris A. Rees, MD, MPH (he/him/his)

Assistant Professor
Emory University School of Medicine
ATLANTA, Georgia, United States

Background: Most of the global childhood disease burden occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, there are massive relative deficits in the amount of research conducted, and addressing childhood diseases, in LMICs. If widely disseminated, research presented at conferences may increase context-specific evidence from LMICs to enhance clinical care and public health intervention policies to improve child health in LMICs.

Objective: To determine the frequency of nonpublication of pediatric global health abstracts presented at professional conferences and to identify factors associated with their nonpublication.

Design/Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional study of abstracts that reported pediatric research conducted in at least one LMIC and was presented at one of seven major scientific conferences in 2017, 2018, or 2019. The years were selected to provide 2.5 years to 4.5 years between the conference and publication search. We used PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar to search for publications with the same authors and study aims as the presented abstract with a censoring date of November 15, 2022. We created a Kaplan-Meier curve to determine the cumulative incidence of publication of pediatric global health abstracts. We used predetermined abstract-level factors and created a multivariable Cox proportional hazard model to identify factors associated with time to publication.

Results: A total of 8,105 abstracts were reviewed and 1,433 reported pediatric research conducted in at least one LMIC. Approximately half of the included abstracts (50.5%, n=729) reported work conducted in sub-Saharan Africa and 42.5% (n=613) reported work conducted in lower-middle income countries (Table). The median number of authors per abstract was 7 (interquartile range 4, 10). Publications were available for 32.8% (95% CI 30.4-35.3%) of abstracts at 24 months and 45.2% (95% CI 42.6-47.9%) at 48 months (Figure). Abstracts reporting work conducted in East Asia and Pacific, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa were published sooner than those conducted in other regions. Abstracts that reported randomized controlled trial results were published sooner than cross-sectional studies.

Conclusion(s): Fewer than half of pediatric global health abstracts were published in peer-reviewed journals years after the conference presentation. Efforts are urgently needed to support the widespread and long-lasting dissemination of pediatric research conducted in LMICs presented as abstracts at professional conferences. Such efforts may lead to a more robust evidence base to guide both clinical care and policy related to child health in LMICs.