Trends in food and nutrition literacy in obesity: A bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Background Low food and nutrition literacy is a significant factor in obesity prevalence, adversely impacting economic and individual health outcomes, with limited research impeding effective public health interventions. Objectives This study seeks to provide a comprehensive overview of scientific research conducted over the past three decades on food and nutrition literacy in relation to obesity. The objective is to evaluate the thematic focus of studies in this domain. Methods A bibliometric analysis methodology, known as a quantitative technique, was employed to investigate scientific studies published in the Web of Science database between 1995 and 2023. The analysis, conducted using the Bibliometrix library in R StudioIDE, considers key variables such as publication year, authorship, countries of origin, high-impact journals, citations, collaborations, and keywords. Results The research encompasses 755 articles, revealing a notable surge in publications post-2007. Remarkably, studies predominantly concentrate on the food and nutrition literacy of children and adolescents. The most cited author is Velardo, whose 2015 article focuses on defining nutritional literacy. The total number of publications from the 10 countries with the most productive authors in this field is 590, accounting for 78.15% of the dataset. The integration of digital media tools among this demographic has sparked innovative research trends. Conclusions Analysis of the data underscores a shortage of research in the literature, emphasizing the need for future studies to prioritize investigating the connection between food and nutrition literacy and obesity in children and adolescents. Bridging this knowledge gap is imperative for developing effective strategies to address and mitigate the obesity epidemic in these specific age groups.