Suicide‐related Internet search queries in India following media reports of a celebrity suicide: an interrupted time series analysis

Public awareness of calories in food sold in retail establishments is a primary objective of the menu labeling law. This study explores the extent to which we can use social media and internet search queries to understand whether the federal calorie labeling law increased awareness of calories. To evaluate the association of the federal menu labeling law with tweeting about calories we retrieved tweets that contained the term “calorie(s)” from the CompEpi Geo Twitter Database from 1 January through 31 December in 2016 and 2018. Within the same time period, we also retrieved time-series data for search queries related to calories via Google Trends (GT). Interrupted time-series analysis was used to test whether the federal menu labeling law was associated with a change in mentions of “calorie(s)” on Twitter and relative search queries to calories on GT. Before the implementation of the federal calorie labeling law on 7 May 2018, there was a significant decrease in the baseline trend of 4.37 × 10−8 (SE = 1.25 × 10−8, p < 0.001) mean daily ratio of calorie(s) tweets. A significant increase in post-implementation slope of 3.19 × 10−8 (SE = 1.34 × 10−8, p < 0.018) mean daily ratio of calorie(s) tweets was seen compared to the pre-implementation slope. An interrupted time-series (ITS) analysis showed a small, statistically significant upward trend of 0.0043 (SE = 0.036, p < 0.001) weekly search queries for calories pre-implementation, with no significant level change post-implementation. There was a decrease in trend of 1.22 (SE = 0.27, p < 0.001) in search queries for calories post-implementation. The federal calorie labeling law was associated with a 173% relative increase in the trend of mean daily ratio of tweets and a −28381% relative change in trend for search queries for calories. Twitter results demonstrate an increase in awareness of calories because of the addition of menu labels. Google Trends results imply that fewer people are searching for the calorie content of their meal, which may no longer be needed since calorie information is provided at point of purchase. Given our findings, discussions online about calories may provide a signal of an increased awareness in the implementation of calorie labels.

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Measuring Public Reaction to Violence Against Doctors in China: Interrupted Time Series Analysis of Media Reports

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/19651 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (2) ◽

pp. e19651

Author(s):

Qian Yang ◽

Ming Tai-Seale ◽

Stephanie Liu ◽

Yi Shen ◽

Xiaobin Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Public Opinion ◽

Time Series Analysis ◽

Interrupted Time Series ◽

Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽

International Media ◽

Series Analysis ◽

Public Sentiment ◽

Media Reports ◽

Violence Against Doctors

Background Violence against doctors in China is a serious problem that has attracted attention from both domestic and international media. Objective This study investigates readers’ responses to media reports on violence against doctors to identify attitudes toward perpetrators and physicians and examine if such trends are influenced by national policies. Methods We searched 17 Chinese violence against doctors reports in international media sources from 2011 to 2020. We then tracked back the original reports and web crawled the 19,220 comments in China. To ascertain the possible turning point of public opinion, we searched violence against doctors–related policies from Tsinghua University ipolicy database from 2011 to 2020, and found 19 policies enacted by the Chinese central government aimed at alleviating the intense patient–physician relationship. We then conducted a series of interrupted time series analyses to examine the influence of these policies on public sentiment toward violence against doctors over time. Results The interrupted time series analysis (ITSA) showed that the change in public sentiment toward violence against doctors reports was temporally associated with government interventions. The declarations of 10 of the public policies were followed by increases in the proportion of online public opinion in support of doctors (average slope changes of 0.010, P<.05). A decline in the proportion of online public opinion that blamed doctors (average level change of –0.784, P<.05) followed the declaration of 3 policies. Conclusions The government’s administrative interventions effectively shaped public opinion but only temporarily. Continued public policy interventions are needed to sustain the reduction of hostility toward medical doctors.

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The Impact of Lockdown in England on Daily Confirmed Cases of COVID-19 and Related Deaths Compared to Sweden: A Comparative Interrupted Time Series Analysis

SSRN Electronic Journal ◽

10.2139/ssrn.3629457 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Moaath Mustafa Ali ◽

Yazan Samhouri ◽

Marwa Sabha ◽

Lynna Alnimer

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Time Series Analysis ◽

Interrupted Time Series ◽

Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽

Series Analysis ◽

The Impact

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Does admission prevalence change after reconfiguration of inpatient services? An interrupted time series analysis of the impact of reconfiguration in five centres

BMC Health Services Research ◽

10.1186/s12913-021-06070-7 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Joanne Martin ◽

Edwin Amalraj Raja ◽

Steve Turner

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Time Series Analysis ◽

Emergency Admission ◽

Interrupted Time Series ◽

Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽

Emergency Admissions ◽

Series Analysis ◽

Inpatient Services ◽

The Impact ◽

Admission Prevalence

Abstract Background Service reconfiguration of inpatient services in a hospital includes complete and partial closure of all emergency inpatient facilities. The “natural experiment” of service reconfiguration may give insight into drivers for emergency admissions to hospital. This study addressed the question does the prevalence of emergency admission to hospital for children change after reconfiguration of inpatient services? Methods There were five service reconfigurations in Scottish hospitals between 2004 and 2018 where emergency admissions to one “reconfigured” hospital were halted (permanently or temporarily) and directed to a second “adjacent” hospital. The number of emergency admissions (standardised to /1000 children in the regional population) per month to the “reconfigured” and “adjacent” hospitals was obtained for five years prior to reconfiguration and up to five years afterwards. An interrupted time series analysis considered the association between reconfiguration and admissions across pairs comprised of “reconfigured” and “adjacent” hospitals, with adjustment for seasonality and an overall rising trend in admissions. Results Of the five episodes of reconfiguration, two were immediate closure, two involved closure only to overnight admissions and one with overnight closure for a period and then closure. In “reconfigured” hospitals there was an average fall of 117 admissions/month [95% CI 78, 156] in the year after reconfiguration compared to the year before, and in “adjacent” hospitals admissions rose by 82/month [32, 131]. Across paired reconfigured and adjacent hospitals, in the months post reconfiguration, the overall number of admissions to one hospital pair slowed, in another pair admissions accelerated, and admission prevalence was unchanged in three pairs. After reconfiguration in one hospital, there was a rise in admissions to a third hospital which was closer than the named “adjacent” hospital. Conclusions There are diverse outcomes for the number of emergency admissions post reconfiguration of inpatient facilities. Factors including resources placed in the community after local reconfiguration, distance to the “adjacent” hospital and local deprivation may be important drivers for admission pathways after reconfiguration. Policy makers considering reconfiguration might consider a number of factors which may be important determinants of admissions post reconfiguration.

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Impact of Vonoprazan Triple-Drug Blister Packs on H. pylori Eradication Rates in Japan: Interrupted Time Series Analysis

Advances in Therapy ◽

10.1007/s12325-021-01784-w ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Hisato Deguchi ◽

Hajime Yamazaki ◽

Tsukasa Kamitani ◽

Yosuke Yamamoto ◽

Shunichi Fukuhara

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Time Series Analysis ◽

Interrupted Time Series ◽

Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽

Series Analysis ◽

H Pylori

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Recession and risk of suicide in Denmark during the 2009 global financial crisis: an ecological register-based study

Scandinavian Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1177/14034948211013270 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 140349482110132

Author(s):

Agnieszka Konieczna ◽

Sarah Grube Jakobsen ◽

Christina Petrea Larsen ◽

Erik Christiansen

Keyword(s):

Time Series ◽

Financial Crisis ◽

Time Series Analysis ◽

Suicide Rate ◽

Global Financial Crisis ◽

Interrupted Time Series ◽

Interrupted Time Series Analysis ◽

Series Analysis ◽

Prevention Programmes ◽

The Impact

Aim: The aim of this study is to analyse the potential impact from the financial crisis (onset in 2009) on suicide rates in Denmark. The hypothesis is that the global financial crisis raised unemployment which leads to raising the suicide rate in Denmark and that the impact is most prominent in men. Method: This study used an ecological study design, including register data from 2001 until 2016 on unemployment, suicide, gender and calendar time which was analysed using Poisson regression models and interrupted time series analysis. Results: The correlation between unemployment and suicide rates was positive in the period and statistically significant for all, but at a moderate level. A dichotomised version of time (calendar year) showed a significant reduction in the suicide rate for women (incidence rate ratio 0.87, P=0.002). Interrupted time series analysis showed a significant decreasing trend for the overall suicide rate and for men in the pre-recession period, which in both cases stagnated after the onset of recession in 2009. The difference between the genders’ suicide rate changed significantly at the onset of recession, as the rate for men increased and the rate for women decreased. Discussion: The Danish social welfare model might have prevented social disintegration and suicide among unemployed, and suicide prevention programmes might have prevented deaths among unemployed and mentally ill individuals. Conclusions: We found some indications for gender-specific differences from the impact of the financial crises on the suicide rate. We recommend that men should be specifically targeted for appropriate prevention programmes during periods of economic downturn.

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