School built environment and children's health: a scientometric analysis

The school built environment is closely related to children's health, and research on this topic is increasing. However, bibliometric analyses seeking to provide a comprehensive understanding of the research landscape and key themes in the field are lacking. This study comprehensively explored the global trends and research hotspots on the associations between school built environment and children's health. We used a scientometric analysis to review the research progress. The temporal distribution of publications, scientific collaborations, research hotspots, research frontiers, and co-citations over the past 30 years were analyzed. The results show that the number of publications in this field rose significantly between 1987 and 2025, with research hotspots focusing on physical activity, performance, behavior, perception, thermal comfort, and indoor air quality. Environmental themes related to children's health fall into four main groups: the built environment related to children's activities, intelligent learning environments, indoor environments and interiors, and natural environments. Health outcomes and measures that reflect physiological, psychological, cognitive, behavioral, and physical factors are discussed. This study provides a broad understanding of research issues and trends related to the school built environment and children's health.