Obstacles and solutions to the generation and dissemination of scientific knowledge in poor countries

Andreeva recently discussed several “challenges for research in poor countries” (Andreeva, 2012). Below is a list of some of these challenges and my comments.1.For many public health studies in low- or middle-income countries, population surveys are the only affordable means of data collection.Population surveys are valuable sources of health information. For example, surveys have estimated the prevalence, severity, and treatment of mental disorders in various countries, including Ukraine (WHO, 2004). But population surveys can be very expensive, so alternative approaches to data collection should not be overlooked. Some other methods are case-control studies, ecologic studies, and qualitative research designs such as focus groups. A case-control design was used by Donetsk State Medical University to investigate contraceptive practices and factors behind contraceptive preferences of Ukrainian women (Mogilevkina, 2003). For a case control study of diphtheria vaccine efficacy in Ukraine, demographic and vaccination data were gathered from health center records (Tsu, 2000). Focus group methods were used by the Ukraine Institute for Public Health Policy and others to investigate the obstacles to antiretroviral therapy perceived by HIV-infected injection drug users (Mimiaga, 2010) and in a separate study on the topics of everyday understanding of health and the factors influencing it (Abbott, 2006).2.Another challenge faced by survey scientists is related to the validity of self-reported data.Validity is central to all research. According to Bonita et al (2006, page 57), “A study is valid if its results correspond to the truth.” Self-reports can be satisfactory data sources if investigators take sufficient care in their design and use (Schaeffer, 2003). For example, before conducting health surveys in low and middle-income countries with questionnaires that were developed for use in high-income countries, researchers may first want to use focus group interview methods to gauge what the survey questions mean to people in the target countries (Kitzinger, 1995). If necessary, focus groups can be used to help researchers to modify question wording appropriately. In any case, for many health measures, it is difficult to think of an alternative to self-reports. The recent finding that fewer teenagers in the United States are driving after drinking, for example, comes from risk behavior data collected from thousands of high school students through national surveys (Shults, 2012).3.Due to high subscription fees, many researchers in low- and medium income countries la