Purpose: Occupational health is a fundamental pillar of public health and sustainable development, aiming to protect workers from physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic, and psychosocial hazards in the workplace. Rapid industrialization, technological advancements, and evolving work environments have increased the complexity of occupational risks and underscoring the importance of evidence-based occupational health research. Scientific journals play a critical role in generating, disseminating, and advancing knowledge in this field. Consequently, analyzing publication trends and thematic research patterns can provide valuable insights into scientific priorities, strengths and neglected areas of occupational health research. Scientific publications are among the primary mechanisms for knowledge transfer in research and have become central to international scientific discourse. In today’s world, the dissemination of information through databases plays a crucial role in the advancement of science and research. Databases and journals that provide open and online access to articles significantly contribute to this development. Since scientific journals play an essential role in the production and dissemination of knowledge, evaluating their content and research trends is necessary. One of the key questions for researchers, particularly early-career scholars, concerns the trajectory of scientific progress in their field and the direction of ongoing studies. Therefore, the present study aimed to analyze the content of studies published between 2011 and 2022 in Persian scientific journals in the field of occupational health and to identify the scientific trends and research directions in this discipline, and neglected areas of occupational health research.
Methodology: This descriptive, cross-sectional, retrospective content analysis examined all articles published between 2011 and 2022 in five Persian scientific journals: Health and Safety at Work, Occupational Hygiene and Health Promotion, Occupational Hygiene Engineering, Iranian Occupational Health, and Occupational Medicine. Articles were retrieved from the journals’ websites based on the inclusion criterion of relevance to occupational health and the exclusion of articles addressing other subject areas. A thematic classification tool consisting of 23 codes derived from international occupational health journals was used to categorize the articles. A total of 824 articles were classified according to thematic content based on expert review. Data preparation and analysis were conducted using Microsoft Excel 2016.
Findings: Approximately 80% of the published articles were concentrated within about 20% of the identified research themes. The most frequently represented topics included Physical Harmful Factors (21.79%), which demonstrated a decreasing publication trend; Occupational Health Methodology, Methods, and Techniques (18.89%), which showed an increasing trend; Occupational Health Psychology (14.89%), also with an increasing trend; Chemical Harmful Factors (10.05%), with a stable trend; Occupational Exposure Assessment (8.11%), with a decreasing trend; and Occupational Diseases and Disorders (7.26%), with a stable publication trend. These findings reflect the dominant research orientations of Persian occupational health journals in Iran. In contrast, the themes of Occupational Cancers, Ethics in Occupational Health, Occupational Health in Other Industries or Specific Workplaces, and Personal Protective Equipment exhibited the lowest publication frequencies (0.12% each) and maintained stable trends throughout the study period. Overall, the results highlight the principal research directions in occupational health studies conducted in Iran.
Conclusion: The research profile developed in this study indicates that Persian occupational health research has primarily focused on physical and chemical harmful factors rather than psychological and biological hazards; on physical health dimensions rather than social and psychological aspects of health; on emerging and developing methodologies rather than established methods; on occupational exposure and disease assessment rather than policy development and individual guidance; and on large industrial settings rather than small enterprises, family-owned businesses, and service-sector workplaces.
The findings further suggest that contemporary occupational health research is increasingly emphasizing the development of new methods and techniques while integrating psychosocial risk factors alongside traditional physical hazards. In parallel with methodological advancements, greater attention should be directed toward practical applications that address the unique challenges faced by small workshops and service-sector workplaces.
The research profile generated in this study provides valuable evidence for revising occupational health curricula, updating university course content, and establishing educational priorities for organizations and industries. In addition, the findings may help guide research agendas and priority-setting within academic institutions and research centers.
Furthermore, the results can assist students and researchers in selecting topics for master's theses and doctoral dissertations in occupational health-related disciplines. The application of these findings may support more effective strategic planning for the advancement of occupational health knowledge and its practical implementation in Iran. Finally, the study highlights the need for broader analyses incorporating articles from interdisciplinary and international journals to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of global trends and local research needs in occupational health.