Global Trends and Research Hotspots in Exercise Intervention for Overweight and Obesity: A Bibliometric Analysis

To analyze global trends and research hotspots in exercise intervention for overweight and obesity from 2010 to 2024, to provide novel perspectives for comprehensive management research on overweight and obesity.

Relevant literature published between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2024, was retrieved from all sub-databases of the Web of Science Core Collection, including articles and reviews. CiteSpace 6.4.R1 was used to perform co-occurrence and burst analysis of journals, institutions, authors and keywords. VOSviewer 1.6.20 was applied to construct co-citation networks among countries/regions and references. SPSS 26.0 was utilized to analyze trends in publication volume and citation frequency.

A total of 113 080 publications on exercise interventions for overweight and obesity were obtained, including 98 188 articles and 14 892 reviews. Both annual publications (t=8.75, P < 0.01) and citation frequency (t=8.14, P < 0.01) showed significant growth trends. The United States contributed the highest number of publications (40 711) and citations (1 513 360). England contributed the highest Hirsch index (H-index)(246). Harvard University contributed the highest number of publications (8290), citations (503 061), the average citations per paper (60.68) and H-index (176). Moreno L A, from the University of Zaragoza in Spain, had the highest number of publications (160). High-frequency keywords primarily included "physical activity ""obesity ""overweight ""body mass index", and "exercise". Burst keywords mainly comprised "cardiometabolic risk ""eating habits", and "high-intensity interval training".

Over the past 15 years, the field of exercise intervention for overweight and obesity has received considerable academic attention. Key research hotspots focus on monitoring the incidence of overweight and obesity and the correlation between physical activity and the health outcomes of individuals with overweight and obesity. Future research directions emphasize the effect of high-intensity interval training on the cardiometabolic health of individuals with overweight and obesity, the interaction of dietary habits and physical activity, and the focus on enhance physical activity levels are the primary global trends in this research field.