Mapping the Divide: A VOSviewer Analysis of Four Decades of Maternal Mortality Research and the Search for Causal Novelty
Keywords:
Maternal Mortality, Bibliometric Analysis, VOSviewer, Health Disparity, Developing CountriesAbstract
This study investigates the global evolution and distribution of maternal mortality research, identifying key thematic trends and gaps from 1983 to 2027. Using a bibliometric analysis of 994 publications from the Scopus Database and employing VOSviewer software, we mapped the research landscape by analyzing keyword co-occurrence and publication year trends. Results show that research intensity is heavily concentrated around the clinical and demographic core, featuring terms like "maternal mortality," "pregnancy," and "infant mortality," predominantly studied in the context of "developing countries." The temporal analysis revealed that research volume sharply increased in response to global initiatives (e.g., a spike around 1992 following the Safe Motherhood Initiative) and recent crises (a peak in 2023 driven by SDG pressure and the COVID-19 pandemic). The thematic analysis highlights a critical, emerging interest in "health policy" and "health disparity," yet these crucial policy and equity themes exhibit a low density of literature compared to the core clinical topics. In conclusion, while the research agenda is now focused on the systemic roots of maternal death (indirect determinants), there remains a significant gap between the recognition of policy failures and the volume of sustained, implementation-focused research required to address deeply entrenched health inequities.
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