Popkin one of most frequently cited authors among nutrition researchers

 

Barry Popkin, PhD, W.R. Kenan Jr. Distinguished Professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, is author of three of the top 10 most cited nutrition articles in Nutrition Reviews’ 70-year history.

 

The journal compiled the list of its 20 most-cited articles as part of its 70th anniversary celebration. The number of citations an article receives is a measure of the importance of the research.

 

The three most-cited articles by Popkin are “The obesity epidemic is a worldwide phenomenon,” (April 1998), fifth most cited“The nutrition transition in low-income countries: an emerging crisis,” (September 1994), eighth most cited; and “The nutrition transition: new trends in the global diet,” (February 1997), 10th most cited.

 

The articles and authors will be highlighted in the January 2012 issue of Nutrition Reviews and in a virtual issue on the journal’s website.”It is an honor any time a researcher’s work is cited by other researchers,” said June Stevens, PhD, AICR/WCRF Distinguished Professor of nutrition and epidemiology and chair of UNC’s nutrition department.

 

“For Dr. Popkin to have authored three of the top 10 most-cited works from one of the top nutrition journals speaks volumes about the value of his work,” Stevens said. “He has laid the groundwork upon which much more research has been built, and as Barry is still quite active in his field, he is building on his own body of knowledge. His insights are improving our understanding of how some modern life-styles and food choices are increasing obesity rates in the U.S. and around the world.”Popkin’s research examines health implications of policies and lifestyle changes, and his findings have been published in more than 300 articles in peer-reviewed journals, including The New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of the American Medical Association, Science, Obesity, Circulation and The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

 

His research covers the whole spectrum of life – for example, he has published articles in both Pediatrics and the Journal of Nutrition for the Elderly (now known as Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics). His work has appeared in renowned peer-reviewed publications in Europe, China, the Philippines and the Asia-Pacific region.His most innovative work, say colleagues, has been developing the concept of “nutrition transition,” a way of understanding long-term nutritional status changes by looking at shifts in the stages of eating, drinking and activity, underlying societal shifts and resulting effects on body composition.

He also has pioneered large longitudinal studies around the world, including ones in China, Russia and the Philippines. He has led related studies in Brazil, Mexico and other countries, studying some populations for four decades. His work has played a major role in establishing databases for scholars to study diet and activity. More than 10,000 researchers have downloaded his longitudinal studies.