What is it about?
This article is a descriptive bibliometric analysis that systematically examines the 50 most cited articles in the field of preventive medicine, with the aim of identifying influential research trends, leading contributors, dominant study designs, and geographic patterns in high-impact preventive medicine scholarship Using data extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection, the authors: Screened over 248,000 publications, narrowing them down to the top 50 most cited articles Analyzed citation counts, publication years, journals, countries of origin, study designs, levels of evidence, and thematic focus Employed R Studio with bibliometrix and biblioShiny packages to generate quantitative metrics and visualizations. The included articles span several core domains of preventive medicine, including: Physical activity and lifestyle interventions Cardiovascular disease prevention Epidemiology and infectious diseases Behavioral risk factors Public health screening and policy The study provides a structured overview of how preventive medicine knowledge has evolved and which works have shaped the field most profoundly
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Why is it important?
This article is important for both scientific and policy-oriented reasons, particularly in an era where prevention is increasingly central to global health strategies. a. It maps intellectual leadership in preventive medicine By identifying the most cited articles, authors, and journals, the study clarifies which research has had the greatest influence on preventive medicine theory, practice, and policy. This is especially valuable for early-career researchers, educators, and guideline developers seeking foundational literature b. It highlights geographic and equity gaps The analysis demonstrates that high-income countries dominate preventive medicine research, with the United States contributing 50% and the United Kingdom 28% of the top-cited articles. This imbalance exposes structural inequities in global research production and underscores the underrepresentation of low- and middle-income countries in high-impact prevention research c. It identifies methodological strengths and limitations in the field The predominance of systematic reviews and prospective cohort studies reflects strong observational and synthesis traditions in preventive medicine, while the relatively smaller number of randomized controlled trials highlights ongoing challenges in intervention-based prevention research d. It captures shifts in research priorities over time The study documents a clear post–COVID-19 surge in preventive medicine publications, particularly related to infectious disease prevention and population-level interventions, illustrating how global crises shape research agendas
Perspectives
From my perspective, this bibliometric analysis is valuable because it moves beyond individual study findings to interrogate the structure and power dynamics of knowledge production in preventive medicine. By focusing on citation impact, the article makes explicit which topics, populations, and regions have historically shaped prevention discourse—and, importantly, which have been marginalized. I find the geographic concentration of highly cited work particularly instructive. While the dominance of the United States and United Kingdom reflects substantial investment in public health research, it also raises critical questions about the global applicability of preventive strategies developed primarily in high-income settings. Prevention is inherently context-sensitive, and the relative absence of influential research from low- and middle-income countries represents not just a scholarly gap, but a missed opportunity for more globally responsive prevention frameworks. The article also reinforces the central role of lifestyle, behavioral, and population-level interventions in shaping long-term health outcomes. However, the limited presence of intervention trials among the most cited works suggests a continued reliance on observational evidence. This highlights the need for future preventive medicine research to balance epidemiological insight with rigorous, scalable intervention studies, particularly in diverse sociocultural contexts. Overall, this study serves as both a mirror and a roadmap: it reflects where preventive medicine has concentrated its intellectual energy, while simultaneously pointing toward the need for broader inclusion, methodological diversification, and equity-driven research agendas in the future of prevention science.
Dr. Zainab Alameeri
Emirates Health Services
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Top 50 most cited articles in preventive medicine: a bibliometric analysis, International Journal of Medicine in Developing Countries, January 2024, Discover Publishing Group,
DOI: 10.24911/ijmdc.51-1733201836.
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