Mapping the citation network on vitamin D research in Australia: a data-driven approach

Belinda Neo; Xiaochen Qu; Eleanor Dunlop; Carrington Shepherd; Erin I Walsh; Nicolas Cherbuin; Lucinda J Black

doi:10.3389/fmed.2023.1298190

Mapping the citation network on vitamin D research in Australia: a data-driven approach

Front Med (Lausanne). 2023 Nov 28:10:1298190. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1298190. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Belinda Neo¹, Xiaochen Qu², Eleanor Dunlop^{2

3}, Carrington Shepherd^{1

4

5}, Erin I Walsh⁶, Nicolas Cherbuin⁷, Lucinda J Black^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia.
² Curtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Bentley, WA, Australia.
³ Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition (IPAN), School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia.
⁴ Telethon Kids Institute, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA, Australia.
⁵ Ngangk Yira Research Institute for Change, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, Australia.
⁶ Population Health Exchange, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
⁷ Department of Health Economics Wellbeing and Society, National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.

Abstract

Vitamin D research can vary geographically, as vitamin D status is influenced by latitude, season, dietary intake, body mass index, ethnicity, and public health initiatives. Over the last two decades, research on vitamin D has increased in Australia, where the potential for sun exposure (a major source of vitamin D) is high. We aimed to identify key topics and gaps in vitamin D research in Australia using a data-driven approach. A literature search limited to Australian studies was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection database. Citation network analysis was conducted to identify clusters and sub-clusters, depicted using word clouds. Topic analysis of each cluster and sub-cluster was conducted to identify topics and sub-topics, respectively. From 934 publications (over the period 1984-2022), nine topics and 60 sub-topics were identified. The nine topics were: vitamin D in vulnerable populations and its impact on child development; impact of sun exposure and ultraviolet-B radiation on various health conditions; vitamin D and falls and fractures in older adults; vitamin D and its association with health outcomes; vitamin D from sun exposure; testing of vitamin D status in Australia; vitamin D, calcium, and musculoskeletal health; vitamin D status and knee osteoarthritis; and vitamin D status and exercise performance in athletes. There were limited publications on vitamin D in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and dietary vitamin D. We have provided an overview of vitamin D research in Australia. The research trends and knowledge gaps identified can guide future research to better inform public health initiatives in Australia.

Keywords: Australia; citation network analysis; data-driven approach; literature map; vitamin D.

Publication types

Systematic Review

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. BN was supported by the Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship. LB was supported by MSWA, an MS Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship (#12–3-045). Funders had no role in the design, analysis, or writing of this article.