Аннотация
Food security among the elderly population is a pressing issue with multifaceted implications for health and well-being. The study aims to systematically map the global research landscape on food security among the elderly population and identify dominant thematic clusters, influential publications, and structural research gaps. A scientometric methodology was applied, combining descriptive statistics and network analysis using Scopus data for 1996-2024. Descriptive statistics and network analysis methods were employed using VOS viewer software for data processing and visualization. Descriptive statistics revealed a sharp acceleration in research output after 2011, with publication dynamics well captured by a 4th-degree polynomial model (R² = 0.9288). The research is highly interdisciplinary, spanning agricultural and biological sciences, medicine, and social Sciences. The United States, China, and the United Kingdom lead in publication output, while the Chinese Academy of Sciences (55 publications) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (92 funded studies) are the key institutional and financial contributors. The analysis confirms the field's complexity and interdisciplinary nature and reveals critical gaps, particularly the lack of longitudinal and qualitative studies. A critical structural gap was identified between biological research and socio-policy studies, indicating limited integration across disciplinary boundaries. The systematized knowledge and identified research structure serve as a robust basis for policymakers and researchers to develop targeted interventions and define new, high-priority research directions.