Global Trends in Adolescent Health Inequalities and Their Social Determinants: A Bibliometric and Scoping Review

TL;DR

This paper reviews global trends in adolescent health inequalities and their social causes from 2000 to 2024 to help create better intervention strategies.

Contribution

The study provides a comprehensive bibliometric and scoping review of adolescent health inequities and their social determinants over 24 years.

Findings

Publications on adolescent health social determinants increased progressively from 2000 to 2024.

Socioeconomic status and family affluence were key factors influencing adolescent health behaviors and outcomes.

Adolescent health inequalities are widespread, with behaviors like diet and smoking strongly linked to socioeconomic factors.

Abstract

Objective: To conduct a scoping review of the global trends of adolescent health inequities and their social determinants from 2000 to 2024 and establish an evidence base for developing targeted intervention strategies. Methods: Guided by the rainbow model, we conducted a bibliometric analysis of 171 peer-reviewed articles related to adolescent health inequalities and their social determinants from the Web of Science Core Collection using CiteSpace 6.3.1 to summarize empirical evidence on how social determinants of health (SDOH) influence adolescents’ health behaviors (e.g., drinking) and health outcomes (e.g., overweight). Results: First, results showed a progressive increase in publications addressing social determinants of adolescent health from 2000 to 2024. Journals in public health and preventive medicine accounted for the highest proportion of articles, with the United States contributing the largest national share (21.05% of global output). Second, an analysis of keywords showed that previous studies mostly focused on the effects of socioeconomic status, family affluence on adolescent health (e.g., physical activity, mental health, and overweight). Third, inequalities in adolescent health were prevalent globally. Health behaviors (e.g., diet, oral health, and smoking) have received widespread attention and are influenced by socioeconomic status, family environment, and gender, whereas various indicators of adolescent health outcomes (e.g., obesity, mental health, and suicide) were highly correlated with family socioeconomic status. Conclusions: To reduce adolescent health disparities, it is important to deepen interdisciplinary research, consider the impact of emerging societal (e.g., digital environments) and environmental factors (e.g., climate change), and develop systematic and comprehensive intervention strategies that encompass the individual, family, school, community, and national levels.

Figures