Desigualdades na pesquisa em atividade física: Observatório Global de Atividade Física - GoPA!

Abstract

Physical activity research is quantitatively unequal across countries worldwide. The United States accounts for 25% of all research on physical activity and health, while the entire African continent has produced approximately 1,000 articles (2.2%) over 70 years. This dissertation aimed to analyze national inequalities in physical activity and health research. A bibliometric data collection was conducted, gathering information on articles published in indexed scientific journals available in PubMed, SCOPUS, and ISI Web of Knowledge between 1950 and 2019. Data collected included authors' names, complete affiliations (department, university, and country), and gender. Three scientific papers were produced: (a) global data on gender inequalities among authors in the field of physical activity and health; (b) global data on the concentration of research output among institutions and authors within countries; (c) an analysis of collaboration networks in physical activity and health research in Brazil, where the study was conducted. The findings highlight inequalities in physical activity and health research. The gender analysis of authorship positions revealed disparities, with a predominance of male authors in the last positions of authorship. Using the Gini index, the research concentration analysis showed that countries with higher scientific output tend to have a strong concentration of publications among a small number of authors and institutions. Countries with lower output tend to have a more decentralized distribution, albeit without significant local references. The third study in this dissertation examined the evolution of collaboration networks in Brazil, with centrality and density metrics indicating well-established collaborative relationships, characterized by a cohesive group of researchers. These results indicate that despite advancements in physical activity and health research, significant inequalities persist in gender and research concentration, particularly in contexts of varying levels of investment in research. However, a positive trend is observed in the strengthening of collaboration networks in Brazil, suggesting potential for greater integration and cohesion among researchers. This could contribute to reducing inequalities and diversifying scientific output in the field.