Bibliometric Analysis of Global Scientific Production on Prelacteal Feeding

Prelacteal feeding varies according to the mother's sociocultural context and remains a public health concern. Therefore, the objective of this study is to analyze the global scientific production on prelacteal feeding from a bibliometric perspective. A descriptive bibliometric study was conducted based on 255 original articles selected through a systematic search using key terms related to the topic. Tools such as SciVal and VOSviewer were used to generate reports of metrics and networks, respectively. Global scientific production shows a decreasing trend, although a greater proportion of publications appear in Q1 journals. The International Breastfeeding Journal has the highest number of articles, followed by PLOS One, whereas Maternal and Child Nutrition demonstrates the highest field-normalized impact per paper. Institutions from Africa are the most productive; however, Yale University has the highest impact, with 151% more citations than expected. The research subcategories with the greatest number of publications are Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health (38 articles), and Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health (34 articles). Ethiopia emerges as a leading contributor in this research field, maintaining a collaborative network with countries in North America, particularly Canada and the United States. In conclusion, research on prelacteal feeding constitutes a relevant yet underexplored field of study, with a strong presence in high-impact journals and a geographic focus on Africa.