Seven School of Public Health publications feature in top 100 papers of 2017

Staff from Imperial College London's School of Public Health authored or contributed to seven of the top 100 papers of 2017 as measured by Altmetric.

The list, released annually, tracks what people are saying about scholarly articles on social media networks, in the news, on blogs and many other sources then give each one a score. In the past year Altmetric has tracked over 18.5 million mentions of 2.2 million different research outputs.

A paper on worldwide trends in body-mass index, published in the Lancet, was the highest ranking paper from the School of Public Health at number seven. The research, a collaboration with the World Health Organisation, was led by Professor Majid Ezzati and found that the number of obese children and adolescents worldwide has risen tenfold in the past found decades.

Featuring at 14^th on the Altmetric list was a paper by the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) 2015 Obesity Collaborators on Health Effects of Overweight and Obesity in 195 countries over 25 years. Professor Azeem Majeed and Dr Thomas Furst from the School of Public Health both contributed to the paper which found that since 1980 prevalence of obesity has doubled in more than 70 countries.

Professor Elio Riboli, Head of the School of Public Health, featured at number 19 on the list along with colleagues Dr Marc Gunter, Dr Neil Murphy, Professor Paolo Vineis, Dr Amanda Cross and Dr David Muller with their paper on Coffee Drinking and Mortality. The study used data from the EPIC study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition) to discover that people who drink around three cups of coffee a day may live longer than non-coffee drinkers.

Research that found average life expectancy is set to increase by 2030 features at 31 on the top 100 list. The research, another collaboration between the School of Public Health and the World Health Organisation, was led by Professor Majid Ezzati and found that life expectancy will soon exceed 90 years in South Korea.

A study into Healthcare Access and Quality Index in 195 countries is also on the top 100 list at number 34. The study by the Global Burden of Disease 2015 Healthcare Access and Quality Collaborators featured contributions from a number of staff within the School of Public Health including Professor Azeem Majeed and Professor Salman Rawaf. The paper, published in the Lancet, found that the gap in healthcare access and quality has increased in nearly every country since 1990 but the gap between the highest and lowest performing nations has widened.

Two studies linking nutrition and mortality also featured on the Altmetric list. The papers, both led by Dr Dagfinn Aune along with Dr Teresa Norat and Professor Elio Riboli, demonstrate that eating 10 portions of fruit and vegetables (88^th on the top 100) and a handful of nuts (98^th on the top 100) can reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and all-cause mortality.

Professor Elio Riboli said: “It is fantastic to see the Imperial College London School of Public Health so well represented on the list of top 100 papers of the year. It showcases just some of the outstanding public health research being carried out across the School and demonstrates the impact and public interest of our work.”

To find out more about the top 100 list visit Altmetric.