The effect of cancer awareness month campaigns on internet search volume and incidence of cancer diagnoses.

2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e17512-e17512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wade T. Swenson ◽  
John M. Lindblom ◽  
John Reber
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Colon Cancer ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Volume Index ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Cancer Awareness ◽  
Awareness Campaign ◽  
Search Volume

e17512 Background: Cancer awareness month campaigns are a health promotion tool used to increase public awareness about a specific cancer, its prevention, and treatment. Cancer awareness month campaigns could be most impactful in promoting awareness of cancers for which established screening guidelines exist. Currently, the United States Preventive Task Force endorses screening the general population for colon, cervical and breast cancers. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of campaigns by identifying internet search volume and monthly cancer diagnoses. Methods: GoogleTrends was utilized to identify the relative monthly volume of search terms from 2004 to 2009 as a proxy for public awareness. Search trends for“breast cancer”, “colon cancer”, and “cervical cancer” were analyzed and an average monthly search volume index (SVI) was determined. Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Result (SEER) data was analyzed during the same time period. These data were compared using Pearson's correlation coefficient and the chi square test for seasonality. The monthly trends were compared to corresponding cancer awareness month campaigns (breast cancer-October, colon cancer-March, cervical cancer-January). Results: Internet search volume was highest for colon cancer and breast cancer in the respective cancer awareness campaign months. The frequencies of breast cancer and colon cancer diagnoseswere not significantly higher in the respective cancer awareness months. Cervical cancer search volume and cancer diagnoses did not correlate with awareness campaign months. Search volume and cancer diagnoses were not well correlated for breast cancer (r=0.089) or cervical cancer (r=0.228); however, they were significantly correlated for colon cancer (r=0.386; p-value=0.0008). Conclusions: Cancer awareness month campaigns appear to raise public awareness as estimated by internet search volume for breast cancer and colon cancer. Cervical cancer awareness month campaigns do not have the same effect. There is no significant correlation between cancer awareness campaign months and cancer diagnosis incidence for either breast cancer or cervical cancer, whereas there is a significant correlation for colon cancer.

EPR19-067: Effectiveness of Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign on Internet Search Activity Compared to Other Gynecological Malignancies

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (3.5) ◽  
pp. EPR19-067
Author(s):  
Akriti Gupta Jain ◽  
Abdul Kareem Khan ◽  
Ranjeet Kumar ◽  
Mohammed Wazir ◽  
Syed Askari Hasan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Reference Value ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Search Activity ◽  
Cancer Awareness ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Breast Cancer Awareness ◽  
The Masses

Background: Breast Cancer (BC) is common, with 1 in 8 U.S. women (12.4%) developing invasive breast cancer in their lifetime. BC is associated with the most awareness campaigns with pink ribbon as its symbol. October was earmarked as the breast cancer awareness month (CAM) in 1985. Cervical (CC) and ovarian cancers (OC) are associated with a high mortality as well and have awareness months dedicated to them. The aim of these awareness drives is to change public attitude and help in early detection and ultimately prevention of various cancers. Internet search activity can be used as a method to gauge interest and awareness in the masses. We aimed to assess the popularity of BC compared to other gynecological cancers, including OC and CC. Methods: We compared the relative frequency of search terms “Breast Cancer,” “Ovarian Cancer,” and “Cervical Cancer” between January 1, 2004 and December 31, 2017 (n=168 months) using Google Trends, a public web facility of Google Inc. The software designates a reference value of 100 for the point of highest popularity and it provides relative monthly popularity scores for all the terms, which we termed as comparative interest scores (CIS). Within each cancer, average CIS was then compared for their respective awareness months (n=14 months; October for BC, September for OC, and January for CC) to the remaining months (n=154 months). Results: The mean CIS for BC was significantly higher during its CAM, 70.5 as compared to other months 35.9; p<0.001. However, for CC mean CIS during January (7.4) was not different compared to the other months (7.4); P=1.00. And for OC, CIS was significantly higher during its CAM (9.2) compared to other months (7.7); P=.0002. The peak of highest popularity for breast cancer was observed during October 2004 and all peaks corresponded to the CAM; other smaller peaks were seen during significant news events associated with BC, all of which surpassed OC and CC in those months. Overall BC CIS were significantly higher compared to CC (P<.001) and OC (P<.001). Conclusions: We conclude that BC awareness campaigns have succeeded in increasing internet search activity during its CAM but ovarian and cervical cancer campaigns especially when compared to breast cancer have not been as successful. There is still a need to increase awareness among masses. Google trends data also tells us which states in US have more internet search activity compared to others which can be used to target the relatively unaware public.

Gauging public awareness and interest related to pancreatic cancer: An analysis of Google search volumes.

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 250-250
Author(s):  
Dhruvika Mukhija ◽  
Alok A. Khorana ◽  
Davendra Sohal
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Colon Cancer ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
P Value ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
News Events ◽  
Google Search

250 Background: Over the last 2 decades, the internet has become a major source of medical information. Infoveillance, i.e., public health surveillance using online content analysis has become a powerful tool and internet search activity has been used as a surrogate to gauge public awareness and interest for particular diseases. We aimed to evaluate the search volume for pancreatic cancer (PC), using colon cancer (CC), as a comparator, using data from a popular search engine. Methods: Using Google Trends, a public web facility of Google Inc., based on Google Search, we compared the relative frequency of search terms ‘pancreatic cancer’ and ‘colon cancer’ between 1st January 2004 and 31st August 2017 (n = 164 months). The program assigns a reference value of 100 for the point of maximum popularity from among all the search terms during the search period and provides comparative monthly scores, which we termed relative interest scores (RIS). The RIS for each cancer was then adjusted for incidence (i.e., 53,070 for PC and 95,270 for CC, based on 2016 data), calculated per 10,000 patients and termed ‘i-RIS’. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: For the entire duration, the maximum popularity (RIS = 100) corresponded to a point in March 2008 for PC, likely related to the diagnosis of a famous celebrity during that month. Similar but smaller surges in RIS were observed for other significant news events related to PC during other months (January 2009, October 2009 and October 2011). Overall, the mean (±S.D) RIS for PC and CC were 32.52±8.98 and 50.18±6.44, respectively (p < 0.001). However, the i-RIS was somewhat higher for PC (6.12±1.69) as compared with CC (5.26±0.67) (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Internet search data can provide estimates of public awareness and interest related to cancer. For PC, incidence-adjusted search volumes show spikes in search volumes related to major news events, providing internal validation of these results. Generating news items and promotion by celebrities may play a significant role in the success of cancer awareness campaigns.

scholarly journals Breast Cancer Awareness Month: The Impact of Even the Most Successful Campaigns Fades

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frédéric Lapostolle ◽  
Lisa Weisslinger ◽  
Charles Durand ◽  
Frédéric Adnet
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
United States ◽  
Public Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Cancer Awareness ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Breast Cancer Awareness ◽  
Internet Searches ◽  
The Impact

Abstract BackgroundFor over 35 years the ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Month’ (BCAM) has worked to increase public information about breast cancer and to raise funds for research. The aim of this study was to analyze how the interest generated by this campaign evolved over time, in the US and other countries.MethodsWe investigated the Google Trends® according to previously recommended methods. The study was based on Internet searches using the term ‘’breast cancer’’ worldwide and in the United-States. Google Trends® gives the relative search volume of every request as an index on a scale from 0 to 100, (100 corresponding to the maximum number of requests during the studied period). We compared the relative searches index using the term ‘’breast cancer’’ during October, the breast cancer awareness month, and the rest of the of the year avec a 10 years period.Results120 months were analyzed including 10 October months. Median index for worldwide searches on ‘’breast cancer’’ during the 110 months was 35 (34-39). It didn’t significantly change during the study period (R2=0,3). Median index of the 10 peaks was 83 (64-92) (p<0,001 vs 110 months). The peak index linearly decreased (R2=0,88) during the study period. It reached 100 in 2012 and 64 in 2020. In the United-States, median index for searches during the 110 months was 28 (26-32). It didn’t significantly change during the study period (R2=0,3). Median index of the 10 peaks was 83 (63-92) (p<0,001 vs 110 months). The peak index linearly decreased (R2=0,73) during the study period. It reached 100 in 2012 and 64 in 2020.ConclusionsThis internet activity study shows that the impact of the ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Month’ seems to be slowly decreasing. The number of Internet searches generated by the campaign has been reduced by almost 40% in both the United-States and worldwide.

scholarly journals Community Empowerment through the Cervical and Breast Cancer Early Detection Program with the Formation of Srikandi Cadres (Early Cancer Awareness) in Kangean Islands, Sumenep Regency

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 127-142
Author(s):  
Ika Mustika ◽  
Esti Tyastirin ◽  
Moch. Irfan Hadi ◽  
Irul Hidayati
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Early Detection ◽  
Community Service ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Community Empowerment ◽  
Cancer Awareness ◽  
Community Based Research ◽  
Cancer Early Detection ◽  
Detection Program

Cervical cancer and breast cancer are two types of cancer that often occur in women and contribute to a high mortality rate. However, there are still many people who do not know about the early detection of cervical cancer and breast cancer to prevent diseases. This community service aims to make people aware of the dangers of breast and cervical cancer. The subjects of this community service program assistance were women in Arjasa sub-district, Kangean Islands, Sumenep Regency. The method used in community service is Community-based Research (CBR) to develop early detection programs for non-communicable diseases of breast cancer and cervical cancer. Research findings showed 91.1% of respondents did not know about early detection of IVA test. The results of the IVA screening test on 90 respondents, there is one respondent with a definite IVA pre-cancerous lesion. SRIKANDI (Sadar Kanker Sejak Dini) Cadre was formed to increase public awareness. Srikandi's cadre provisioned with knowledge about cervical and breast cancer, equipped with pocketbooks and given training on breast self-examination (BSE). They invited the public to increase awareness of cervical and breast cancer by conducting IVA tests and being able to do breast self-examinations to reduce the incidence of cervical and breast cancer.

Effectiveness of colon cancer awareness month compared to pancreatic cancer awareness month at increasing internet search activity.

2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (4_suppl) ◽  
pp. 240-240
Author(s):  
Sajan Jiv Singh Nagpal ◽  
Dhruvika Mukhija ◽  
Ayush Sharma ◽  
Sahil Khanna
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Colon Cancer ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Search Activity ◽  
Cancer Awareness ◽  
Screening Guidelines ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Google Search

240 Background: Colorectal and Pancreatic cancers have high mortality with about 50,000 patients dying from each annually. Cancer awareness months (CAMs) have been earmarked by cancer societies to change public attitudes towards prevention, screening and treatment of various cancers. Awareness campaigns lead by these societies have benefited significantly from readily available Internet access and growing social media. Internet search activity has been used as a surrogate tool to gauge public interest and awareness. We aimed to assess if cancer awareness months impact internet search activity for these cancers. Methods: Using Google Trends, a public web facility of Google Inc. based on Google Search, we compared the relative frequency of search of terms ‘Colon Cancer’ and ‘Pancreatic Cancer’ between 1st January 2004 and 31st December 2016 (n=156 months). The program assigns a reference value of 100 for the point of maximum popularity from among the search terms, and provides relative monthly scores for all terms, which we termed relative interest scores (RIS). Within each cancer, the median RIS was then compared for their respective awareness months (n=13; March for CRC and November for PC) to the to the remaining months (n=143). Results: The median (IQR) RIS for CRC was significantly higher for CRC during its CAM:54 (51-63) as compared to other months:47 (44-50); p=0.0001. However, there was no significant difference in the median RIS for PC during its CAM: 33 (27.5-35.5) as compared to other months: 31 (27-33); p=0.43. The point of maximum popularity during the study period (i.e. RIS 100), and other peaks in search volume for PC corresponded to significant news events associated with PC, and PC search volumes surpassed CRC in those months. Conclusions: Ongoing campaigns for CRC awareness appear to be effective in increasing internet search activity during its respective CAM. While differences could be due to established CRC screening guidelines, other reasons behind the success of CRC awareness campaigns should be adopted by PC as awareness campaigns for the two cancers are otherwise similar.

Evaluating the impact of cancer awareness months in Mexico using internet search engine analytics.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18056-e18056
Author(s):  
Jorge Humberto Hernandez-Felix ◽  
Mónica Isabel Meneses Medina ◽  
Edgar Omar Martos Armendariz ◽  
Mauricio Rivera Aguilar ◽  
Vanessa Rosas Camargo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Media Analysis ◽  
Cáncer De Mama ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Cancer Awareness ◽  
Awareness Campaigns ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
The Impact

e18056 Background: Cancer awareness months (CAM) are a health promotion tool that pursues to increase the public knowledge of a specific type of cancer. Awareness campaigns have benefited from the ease of access to the internet and social media. Analysis of internet search data has been used as an indirect tool to determine the information-seeking patterns of people and may reflect the impact of a campaign. We aim to determine national cancer awareness months’ impact on people’s internet search habits focusing on malignancies that have a specific awareness month in Mexico: breast, colorectal and prostate. Methods: We used Google Trends (GT) to obtain search volume indexes (SVIs), a term designed by GT scaled from 0 to 100 based on total searches during a specified period, of malignancies with an awareness month in Mexico from January 2008 to December 2018. Terms were consulted in Spanish: "cáncer de mama" (breast cancer), "cáncer de colon + cáncer colorrectal" (colon + colorectal cancer), "cáncer de próstata" (prostate cancer). We compared mean SVIs from each cancer awareness month to mean SVIs from the rest of the year using two-tailed two-independent sample T-tests. For prostate and colorectal, SVI’s were compared from the year its CAM was nationally instituted. Results: For breast cancer, mean SVI from October, its awareness month was 54.18 vs 12.09 for the rest of the year (p < 0.001). For colorectal cancer, mean SVI from its awareness month March, was 65.0 vs 55.5 for the rest of the year (p = 0.34). For prostate cancer, mean SVI from November, Mexican prostate awareness month, was 72.0 vs 35.52 for the rest of the year (p = 0.44). Conclusions: Google’s search volume for breast cancer was significantly higher in its awareness month compared to the rest of the year, which proves the impact of its CAM on modifying online activity. For more recently instituted CAMs on prostate and colorectal cancer, search volume didn’t change significantly between their CAM and the rest of the year. There are perhaps lessons to be learned from the breast cancer awareness month campaign which might usefully be adapted for the highest incident malignancies in Mexico.

Cancer screening. Current state of the problem

2020 ◽  
pp. 4-12
Author(s):  
Marina Kochiyeva
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Cervical Cancer ◽  
Colon Cancer ◽  
Cancer Screening ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Screening Programs ◽  
Current State ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Based Medicine

Data on modern methodological approaches that are used in screening for cancer are summarized. General principles of organizing screening studies are examined from the perspective of evidence-based medicine, target population, research methods, and effectiveness of the implemented screening programs for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and colon cancer are determined.

scholarly journals Increase in searches for erectile dysfunction during winter: seasonal variation evidence from Google Trends in the United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belén Mora Garijo ◽  
Jonathan E. Katz ◽  
Aubrey Greer ◽  
Mia Gonzalgo ◽  
Alejandro García López ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
United States ◽  
Erectile Dysfunction ◽  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Kidney Stones ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
The United States ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Search Volume

AbstractSeveral diseases associated with erectile dysfunction (ED), such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD), are known to have seasonal variation, with increased incidence during winter months. However, no literature exists on whether this chronological-seasonal evolution is also present within ED symptomatology. We hypothesized ED would follow the seasonal pattern of its lifestyle-influenced comorbid conditions and exhibit increased incidence during winter months. In order to investigate the seasonal variation of ED in the United States between 2009 and 2019, Internet search query data were obtained using Google Trends. Normalized search volume was determined during the winter and summer seasons for ED, other diseases known to be significantly associated with ED (T2DM and CAD), kidney stones (positive control), and prostate cancer (negative control). There were significantly more internet search queries for ED during the winter than during the summer (p = 0.001). CAD and T2DM also had significantly increased search volume during winter months compared to summer months (p < 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). By contrast, searches for kidney stones were significantly increased in the summer than in the winter (p < 0.001). There was no significant seasonal variation in the relative search frequency for prostate cancer (p = 0.75). In conclusion, Google Trends internet search data across a ten-year period in the United States suggested a seasonal variation in ED, which implies an increase in ED during winter. This novel finding in ED epidemiology may help increase awareness of ED’s associated lifestyle risk factors, which may facilitate early medical evaluation and treatment for those at risk of both ED and cardiovascular disease.

Public Interest and Behavior Change in the United States Regarding Colorectal Cancer Following the Death of Chadwick Boseman: Infodemiology Investigation of Internet Search Trends Nationally and in At-Risk Areas (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas B Sajjadi ◽  
Kaylea Feldman ◽  
Samuel Shepard ◽  
Arjun K Reddy ◽  
Trevor Torgerson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
United States ◽  
At Risk ◽  
Colon Cancer ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Black Population ◽  
The United States ◽  
American Cancer Society ◽  
Cancer Society ◽  
Search Volume

BACKGROUND Colorectal cancer (CRC) has the third highest cancer mortality rate in the United States. Enhanced screening has reduced mortality rates; however, certain populations remain at high risk, notably African Americans. Raising awareness among at-risk populations may lead to improved CRC outcomes. The influence of celebrity death and illness is an important driver of public awareness. As such, the death of actor Chadwick Boseman from CRC may have influenced CRC awareness. OBJECTIVE We sought to assess the influence of Chadwick Boseman’s death on public interest in CRC in the United States, evidenced by internet searches, website traffic, and donations to prominent cancer organizations. METHODS We used an auto-regressive integrated moving average model to forecast Google searching trends for the topic “Colorectal cancer” in the United States. We performed bivariate and multivariable regressions on state-wise CRC incidence rate and percent Black population. We obtained data from the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Colon Cancer Foundation (CCF) for information regarding changes in website traffic and donations. RESULTS The expected national relative search volume (RSV) for colorectal cancer was 2.71 (95% CI 1.76-3.66), reflecting a 3590% (95% CI 2632%-5582%) increase compared to the expected values. With multivariable regression, the statewise RSV increased for each percent Black population by 1.09 (SE 0.18, <i>P</i>&lt;.001), with 42% of the variance explained (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). The American Cancer Society reported a 58,000% increase in CRC-related website traffic the weekend following Chadwick Boseman’s death compared to the weekend before. The Colon Cancer Foundation reported a 331% increase in donations and a 144% increase in revenue in the month following Boseman’s death compared to the month prior. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that Chadwick Boseman’s death was associated with substantial increases in awareness of CRC. Increased awareness of CRC may support earlier detection and better prognoses.

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