An Outlook to Childhood Obesity in Saudi Arabia using VOSviewer

Abstract

Childhood Obesity (CHO) is a global epidemic that has increased in recent years. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 39 million children under five will be overweight or obese in 2020. In Saudi Arabia, the prevalence of obesity reached its peak at 35.5%. WHO also anticipated that by 2030, 30% of all deaths worldwide would be caused by lifestyle diseases. Extensive studies have been published on the fundamental causes of obesity, its treatment, and its prevention. As a result of the efforts and resources invested in childhood obesity research, control, and prevention, it is necessary to assess and analyze these studies and provide valuable insights to public health officials and healthcare institutions. Using the Scopus database, this paper uses bibliometric analysis to evaluate and identify trends and studies in childhood obesity in Saudi Arabia based on VOSviewer. Results revealed that the top 5 active affiliations in childhood obesity are King Saud University (165 documents), King Abdulaziz University (139), King Saud University for Health Sciences (47), Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University(42), and Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University (39). King Saud University sponsored the highest number of published documents. Out of 643 documents retrieved from the Scopus database, 42.5% were in Medicine and 11.8% in biochemistry. Understanding state-of-the-art childhood obesity is critical in planning future measures to control and prevent highrisk children early and future obesity complications. This study aims to provide insight for Saudi Arabian authorities to consider boosting health measures to reduce the incidence and prevalence of CHO.