Deficiency and Development: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Effects of Iron Deficiency on Human Development

Iron is an important micronutrient for biological and neurocognitive function. Iron deficiency is significantly undertreated; yet, for many vulnerable populations, such as women and children, iron deficiency is prevalent and leads to serious developmental consequences. As global trends continue to rise, it is crucial to research trends in this area. Publications were extracted from the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database, specifically containing the keywords "iron deficiency" and "development." A total of 6,850 articles were acquired from the search. A bibliometric analysis was then conducted on VOSViewer 1.6.2 to assess data concerning the publication year, country, journal, and keyword frequency. The quantity of published articles on iron deficiency and development has an overall increasing trend, dominated by the United States, China, and India. The top five publishing journals included Nutrients, Journal of Nutrition, and American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, with the Journal of Nutrition having the highest link strength. The frequently co-occurring keywords included iron, anemia, and iron-deficiency. Although COVID-19 had some disruption on publication due to priority on the pandemic-related research, the overall global trend. The occurrence of nutrition journals suggests an emphasis on the nutritional aspects of managing iron deficiency. The recurring keywords highlight the data focus primarily on early pediatric care, plant science, and medical research.