Mapping the Landscape of Anaemia Research in Pregnant and Postpartum Women: A Bibliometric Analysis & Topic Modelling Study

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, 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.