Multilevel barriers to clinical and nutritional research in Latin America: a socioeconomic comparative analysis
Journal
Frontiers in Nutrition
ISSN
2296-861X
Date Issued
2025-12-31
Author(s)
Evelyn Frias-Toral
Jaime Angamarca-Iguago
Isabel Calvo Higuera
Jorge Carriel-Mancilla
Guillermo Contreras
Raquel Franco-Nuñez
Rosa Larreategui Arosemena
Claudia Maza Moscoso
Javier Restrepo
Jaen Cagua-Ordoñez
Alison Simancas-Racines
Claudia Reytor-González
Daniel Simancas-Racines
Abstract
Clinical and nutritional research in Latin America faces significant challenges that limit scientific development and evidence-based healthcare. Understanding these barriers is essential for developing effective strategies to enhance research capacity in the region. This study aimed to identify multilevel barriers to clinical and nutritional research in Latin America and compare them between countries of different socioeconomic levels.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 327 healthcare professionals involved in clinical and nutritional research across Latin America. Data collection occurred via an online survey in which participants rated the importance of 16 potential barriers on a 3-point Likert scale. Analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests to compare barriers between upper-middle and lower-middle-income countries, logistic regression to identify predictors of research participation, and k-means cluster analysis to identify researcher profiles.
Results
Funding (84.4%), research materials (71.6%), and time constraints (70.9%) emerged as the most significant barriers across all countries. Three barriers showed statistically significant differences between income levels: participant commitment (73.6% vs. 42.6%, < 0.001), frequent appointments (56.6% vs. 37.8%, = 0.02), and language barriers (39.6% vs. 22.9%, = 0.02), all of which were higher in lower-middle-income countries. Logistic regression identified the importance of research materials (OR = 0.36,
= 0.002) and telemedicine (OR = 1.74, = 0.044) as significant predictors of research participation. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct researcher profiles based on barrier perception patterns.
Conclusion
Multilevel barriers to research in Latin America are dominated by universal resource constraints (funding, materials, time), with lower-middle-income countries facing additional challenges in participant engagement and study logistics. The relative homogeneity of most barriers across income groups suggests that regional and institutional factors may be more influential than national income levels. These findings provide a foundation for developing targeted strategies to strengthen research capacity and infrastructure across Latin America.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted with 327 healthcare professionals involved in clinical and nutritional research across Latin America. Data collection occurred via an online survey in which participants rated the importance of 16 potential barriers on a 3-point Likert scale. Analysis included descriptive statistics, chi-square tests to compare barriers between upper-middle and lower-middle-income countries, logistic regression to identify predictors of research participation, and k-means cluster analysis to identify researcher profiles.
Results
Funding (84.4%), research materials (71.6%), and time constraints (70.9%) emerged as the most significant barriers across all countries. Three barriers showed statistically significant differences between income levels: participant commitment (73.6% vs. 42.6%, < 0.001), frequent appointments (56.6% vs. 37.8%, = 0.02), and language barriers (39.6% vs. 22.9%, = 0.02), all of which were higher in lower-middle-income countries. Logistic regression identified the importance of research materials (OR = 0.36,
= 0.002) and telemedicine (OR = 1.74, = 0.044) as significant predictors of research participation. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct researcher profiles based on barrier perception patterns.
Conclusion
Multilevel barriers to research in Latin America are dominated by universal resource constraints (funding, materials, time), with lower-middle-income countries facing additional challenges in participant engagement and study logistics. The relative homogeneity of most barriers across income groups suggests that regional and institutional factors may be more influential than national income levels. These findings provide a foundation for developing targeted strategies to strengthen research capacity and infrastructure across Latin America.