Bibliometric and LDA analysis of the correlation between childhood obesity and precocious puberty (2005-2025)

Growing evidence supports a close association between childhood obesity and precocious puberty (PP). However, there remains a lack of bibliometric research specifically examining the factors and trends within this intersecting field. A systematic bibliometric analysis would provide a comprehensive understanding of the current research landscape, identify key contributors and emerging trends.

On June 2, 2026, relevant studies published between 2005 and 2025 were retrieved from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC), Scopus and PubMed databases. Using the bibliometrix R 4.5.1, CiteSpace 6.4.R1, and VOSviewer 1.6.20, we conducted a visual analysis of dimensions such as publication volume, countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords. We employed the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) method to reveal the underlying thematic structure and track its temporal evolution.

A total of 2506 publications were included, involving 9,843 authors and spanning 664 academic journals. The annual publication volume increased steadily, with the United States and China as the major contributing countries. Harvard University led institutional output, followed by the University of California System and Leipzig University. Chen Y was the most prolific author with 42 publications. Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology & Metabolism was the most productive journal in this field. "Obesity" (1,179) and "puberty" (1,031) were identified as the core research keywords. LDA analysis yielded 15 topics, which were grouped into four clusters. These clusters respectively cover adrenal endocrine function and pubertal physiology, obesity-related metabolic complications and multisystem damage in children, the link between childhood obesity and pubertal timing, and relevant upstream etiological factors.

This study applies bibliometric analysis and LDA topic modeling to trace the development of research on the association between childhood obesity and PP over the past two decades. It systematically reviews research progress in this field, clarifies publication trends, the global research landscape, and patterns of thematic evolution, thereby providing an important academic reference for clinicians and scholars in the field of pediatrics to identify research hotspots and cutting-edge directions.