Mapping the landscape of anaemia research in pregnant and postpartum women: a bibliometric analysis & topic modelling study

Abstract Background Maternal anaemia affects 35.5% of pregnant women globally and represents a persistent public health challenge with significant maternal and neonatal health consequences. Despite substantial research investment, progress towards anaemia reduction remains limited, suggesting potential misalignment between research priorities and evidence-based intervention needs. Understanding the knowledge structure and thematic evolution of maternal anaemia research is essential for identifying gaps and informing future research strategies and guidelines development. Objectives This study aimed to map the knowledge structure and evolution of research on anaemia in pregnant and postpartum women from 2000-2024, analyse global collaboration networks and geographic distribution, and identify emerging themes and research gaps using bibliometric analysis and topic modelling. Methods A comprehensive bibliometric analysis was conducted using Web of Science Core Collection database, encompassing 1,007 documents published between 2000-2024. Standard bibliometric indicators were calculated using VOSviewer and CiteSpace software. Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modelling identified thematic clusters. Linear regression analysis examined temporal trends and geographic patterns. Results Publication output demonstrated exponential growth (R² = 0.9054), increasing from 12 documents in 2000 to 118 in 2022. Research concentrated in high-income countries (68.5% of publications) despite inverse disease burden distribution. Geographic disparities revealed substantial regional research gaps, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Topic modelling revealed nine clusters dominated by health outcomes research (77.4%), with less attention to prevention (20.8%) and diagnosis (6.3%). Conclusions Maternal anaemia research exhibits fundamental structural imbalances with geographic concentration contradicting disease burden patterns and thematic evolution away from prevention towards treatment focus. The virtual absence of implementation research represents a critical barrier to knowledge translation. Strategic research rebalancing prioritising implementation science, prevention research, and capacity building in high-burden regions is essential for achieving population-level anaemia reduction goals.