Okul Beslenmesi ve Okul Yemekleri Araştırmalarının Haritalanması: Bibliyometrik Bir Analiz (2000–2025)

Abstract

This study aims to map the scientific literature the scientific literature published between 2000 and 2025 on school nutrition and school meals using bibliometric methods. A comprehensive search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection database, and peerreviewed articles published in English between 2000 and 2025 were included in the study. After applying predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 797 articles were analysed. The analyses were conducted using the Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny software. The findings indicated a steady increase in publication output in the field, with a marked acceleration after 2019. Thematic analyses showed that the concepts of “school meals” and “nutrition” consistently maintained central positions, while themes such as “food insecurity,” “universal school meals,” “implementation,” and “childhood obesity” have become more prominent in recent years. The findings also demonstrated that early studies focused on dietary intake and meal composition, whereas over time the field has shifted toward a broader public health perspective encompassing nutritional quality in school settings, obesity prevention, and food insecurity. This bibliometric study indicates that school nutrition should be addressed as a public health intervention in the context of nutritional quality, childhood obesity, and food insecurity; additionally, it highlights the need to implement evidence-based approaches that focus on how school nutrition programs are implemented in practice and, consequently, to strengthen efforts to reduce the policy–practice gap, thereby enhancing program effectiveness.