This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial International License
(CC BY-NC 4.0).
This study investigates the phenomenon of health communication in the context of Generation Z in the digital era, focusing on digital health literacy and the influence of social media on their health behaviour. Generation Z, who grew up with digital technology, more often seek health information through the internet, but their level of health empowerment is relatively lower than previous generations. The purpose of this study is to analyse publication trends, author collaborations, and emerging topics in the literature related to Generation Z health communication using bibliometric analysis methods. The data was analysed by mapping the number of publications, citations, main sources, and comparing global and local trends. The findings of this study show a significant surge in publications in 2020, triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the USA being the largest contributor to publications. However, despite an increase in the number of publications, citations per article tended to decline after peaking in
2019, indicating saturation or a shift in topic focus. In addition, these findings also identified disparities in author collaboration and research influence, with several leading journals such as the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health becoming major centres of publication. This study enriches the literature by providing insights into the dynamics of Generation Z’s health communication and revealing the need for better digital health literacy education. The practical implication of this study is the importance of digital-based education to improve Generation Z’s health empowerment.