Trends in academic research on thirdhand smoke using bibliometric analysis

This study used quantitative analysis to explore the current landscape of thirdhand smoke (THS) research by identifying gaps and emerging trends. Despite growing evidence of health risks associated with THS, research remains sparse, and no public policies address THS exposure. This analysis aimed to inform future studies and policies, in order to mitigate THS-related health risks.

Using a bibliometric approach, our literature search identified 227 academic articles and reviews indexed in PubMed between 2009 and 2023. We used Biblioshiny, a bibliometrix R package, VOSviewer, and Excel to analyze the bibliographic data.

Since 2009, an average growth of 14.09% annually has been observed in THS-related publications. Additionally, we found that US institutions are major contributors to THS research. At the country level, studies conducted in the US, China, Spain, Italy, and South Korea are the most prevalent in the THS literature. Our findings indicate that THS research mainly focuses on human participants, health promotion, nicotiana/chemistry, air pollution/indoor analysis, tobacco smoke pollution, adolescent health, odorants/analysis, surface properties, carcinogens, and disease models/animals.

We analyzed THS research trends and identified the most impactful authors, journals, institutions, and countries. Considering the findings of this study, policymakers should continue policy development and implementation efforts to address THS exposure. The findings of this study can serve as basic reference material for scholars to guide future research directions regarding THS research.