Abstract

MORA ALVARADO, Darner A; GUEVARA RODRIGUEZ, Elvira  and  CRUZ CHAVES, Alejandra. Producción de investigaciones científicas sobre agua potable y saneamiento publicadas e indexadas en línea en América Latina y el Caribe 1990 - 2006. Rev. costarric. salud pública [online]. 2007, vol.16, n.30, pp.1-16. ISSN 1409-1429.

Objective: To analyze the scientific research production regarding drinking water as well as environmental hygiene (by which, we refer to residual waters and contamination of bodies of water) in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Central America, during the period comprised between the years 1990 and 2006. Methods: research data on drinking water and environmental hygiene published online were collected on 8 databases which include the Latin American and also the global level. These results were compared with publications presented during the 30th. Congress on Sanitary Engineering which took place in Punta del Este, Uruguay in November, 2006. The purpose was to evaluate per country productivity. Data were processed according to gross numbers as well as publication rates per 1,000,000 inhabitants per country. Results: we found that Brazil is the country with the greatest total number of articles published online; nevertheless, when rates per million people are calculated, the countries with the highest production are Costa Rica and Chile with rates of 5.092 and 1.312 per million respectively. Cuba occupies the next place with a rate of 0.442 and Brazil has a rate of 0.355 per million. When comparing the above data with the presentations in the 30th. Congress on Sanitary Engineering, the results follow a similar behavior except that since the host country was Uruguay, the latter country showed an important participation during the Congress. Conclusions:133 scientific articles published and indexed online for a 16-year period were identified. Of these, 48% were produced in Brazil, 16.5% in Costa Rica, 15.3% in Chile and the rest were from Cuba (3.8%), Venezuela (4.5%), Colombia (3.2%), Bolivia (0.8%) and Guatemala (10.8%). Our results show that the rates per million of scientific productivity in drinking water and environmental hygiene are highest in Costa Rica and Chile with rates of 5.092 and 1.312 respectively. Brazil is next with a rate of 0.365 per million inhabitants.

Keywords : scientic research; drinking water; environmental hygiene; Central America; Latin America.

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