Breastfeeding in Emergencies as a Life-Saving Intervention: A Bibliometric Analysis Within the IYCF-E Framework

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Disaster Management
• Lactation Science

Background:

• Breastfeeding is critical during natural hazards.
• The Infant and Young Child Feeding in Emergencies (IYCF-E) framework guides interventions.
• Limited research exists on breastfeeding during natural disasters.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a bibliometric analysis of scientific literature on breastfeeding during natural hazards.
• To evaluate the literature within the IYCF-E framework.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis of 27 articles from Web of Science Core Collection (December 2024).
• Keywords included "natural hazards," "earthquake," "flood," "hurricane," and "breastfeeding."
• Analysis performed using Biblioshiny in R and VOSviewer.

Main Results:

• Publications increased significantly, peaking in 2024, with most from the US, Japan, and Canada.
• Key themes: infant health, emergencies, breastfeeding; emerging themes: maternal mental health.
• Limited focus on breastfeeding's life-saving role and risks of breast-milk substitutes (BMS) within IYCF-E.

Conclusions:

• Scientific literature on breastfeeding in emergencies is scarce and predominantly descriptive.
• Existing studies often focus on earthquake scenarios.
• Future research must adopt an IYCF-E perspective, emphasizing breastfeeding as life-saving and addressing BMS risks.