Monitoring COVID-19 related public Interest and population Health Literacy in South Asia: An Internet Search-Interest Based Model
AbstractBackgroundInformation epidemiology based on internet search data can be used to model COVID-19 pandemic progressions and monitor population health literacy. However, the applicability of internet searches to monitor COVID-19 infections and public health awareness in South Asian countries are unclear.ObjectivesTo assess the association of public interest and health literacy in COVID-19 with the number of infected cases South Asian countries.Material and MethodsGoogle Trends data from January to March 2020 were used to correlate public interest and literacy with official data on COVID-19 cases using the relative search volume (RSV) index. Public interest in COVID-19 was retrieved with the search topic “Coronavirus (Virus)”. Similarly, search terms “hand wash”, “face mask”, “hand sanitizer”, “face shield” and “gloves” were used to retrieve RSV indices as a surrogate of health literacy. Country-level correlation analyses were performed for a time lag between 30 and +30 days.ResultsThere were significant positive correlations between COVID-19 related public interest and daily confirmed cases in countries expect Nepal, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. The highest public interest in South Asian Countries was on average 12 days before the local maximum of new confirmed cases. Similarly, web searches related to personal hygiene and preventive measures in south Asia correlated to the number of confirmed cases as well as national restriction measures.ConclusionPublic interest indicated by RSV indices can help to monitor the progression of an outbreak such as the current COVID-19 pandemic particularly in countries with a lack of diagnostic and surveillance capacity.