Health communication and social media: Asian perspective

Purpose This study aims to conduct a bibliometric assessment of existing literature in the fields of health communication and social media in the Asian context. Design/methodology/approach Using 265 Scopus-indexed papers, a comprehensive bibliometric study was performed, incorporating both performance and science mapping analyses. Findings The results reveal an increasing trend in the publication of this topic. This study also identified the top author, country, articles and author collaboration clusters. Four primary themes emerged from the publications: “Papillomavirus” and “the COVID-19 pandemic” were categorized as niche themes; “gender and cohort” was identified as a basic theme; and “behavioral intention” was classified as an emerging or declining theme. These can serve as the foundations for future research directions. Research limitations/implications This research used only the Scopus database as its data source. However, future bibliometric research could investigate other databases. Practical implications This paper has practical implications for researchers, health communication managers, government and policymakers. It provides valuable information that can guide researchers in conducting new studies, fostering collaborations and conducting further bibliometric analyses. Health communication managers can use this paper to design and manage social media-based health communication programs. The government could leverage these findings to support evidence-based policy implementation in the field of health communication. Originality/value This study, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, marks the first bibliometric analysis focused on the literature in the field of health communication and social media in the Asian context.