Google Searches and Suicide Rates in Spain, 2004-2013: Correlation Study

Background Different studies have suggested that web search data are useful in forecasting several phenomena from the field of economics to epidemiology or health issues. Objective This study aimed to (1) evaluate the correlation between suicide rates released by the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) and internet search trends in Spain reported by Google Trends (GT) for 57 suicide-related terms representing major known risks of suicide and an analysis of these results using a linear regression model and (2) study the differential association between male and female suicide rates published by the INE and internet searches of these 57 terms. Methods The study period was from 2004 to 2013. In this study, suicide data were collected from (1) Spain’s INE and (2) local internet search data from GT, both from January 2004 to December 2013. We investigated and validated 57 suicide-related terms already tested in scientific studies before 2015 that would be the best predictors of new suicide cases. We then evaluated the nowcasting effects of a GT search through a cross-correlation analysis and by linear regression of the suicide incidence data with the GT data. Results Suicide rates in Spain in the study period were positively associated (r<-0.2) for the general population with the search volume for 7 terms and negatively for 1 from the 57 terms used in previous studies. Suicide rates for men were found to be significantly different than those of women. The search term, “allergy,” demonstrated a lead effect for new suicide cases (r=0.513; P=.001). The next significant correlating terms for those 57 studied were “antidepressant,” “alcohol abstinence,” “relationship breakup” (r=0.295, P=.001; r=0.295, P=.001; and r=0.268, P=.002, respectively). Significantly different results were obtained for men and women. Search terms that correlate with suicide rates of women are consistent with previous studies, showing that the incidence of depression is higher in women than in men, and showing different gender searching patterns. Conclusions A better understanding of internet search behavior of both men and women in relation to suicide and related topics may help design effective suicide prevention programs based on information provided by search robots and other big data sources.

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Google Searches and Suicide Rates in Spain, 2004-2013: Correlation Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.10919 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Alberto Jimenez ◽

Miguel-Angel Santed-Germán ◽

Victoria Ramos

Keyword(s):

Linear Regression ◽

Web Search ◽

Correlation Study ◽

Search Term ◽

Internet Search ◽

Men And Women ◽

Suicide Rates ◽

Search Volume ◽

Cross Correlation Analysis ◽

Search Data

BACKGROUND Different studies have suggested that web search data are useful in forecasting several phenomena from the field of economics to epidemiology or health issues. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to (1) evaluate the correlation between suicide rates released by the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE) and internet search trends in Spain reported by Google Trends (GT) for 57 suicide-related terms representing major known risks of suicide and an analysis of these results using a linear regression model and (2) study the differential association between male and female suicide rates published by the INE and internet searches of these 57 terms. METHODS The study period was from 2004 to 2013. In this study, suicide data were collected from (1) Spain’s INE and (2) local internet search data from GT, both from January 2004 to December 2013. We investigated and validated 57 suicide-related terms already tested in scientific studies before 2015 that would be the best predictors of new suicide cases. We then evaluated the nowcasting effects of a GT search through a cross-correlation analysis and by linear regression of the suicide incidence data with the GT data. RESULTS Suicide rates in Spain in the study period were positively associated (r<-0.2) for the general population with the search volume for 7 terms and negatively for 1 from the 57 terms used in previous studies. Suicide rates for men were found to be significantly different than those of women. The search term, “allergy,” demonstrated a lead effect for new suicide cases (r=0.513; P=.001). The next significant correlating terms for those 57 studied were “antidepressant,” “alcohol abstinence,” “relationship breakup” (r=0.295, P=.001; r=0.295, P=.001; and r=0.268, P=.002, respectively). Significantly different results were obtained for men and women. Search terms that correlate with suicide rates of women are consistent with previous studies, showing that the incidence of depression is higher in women than in men, and showing different gender searching patterns. CONCLUSIONS A better understanding of internet search behavior of both men and women in relation to suicide and related topics may help design effective suicide prevention programs based on information provided by search robots and other big data sources.

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Seasonal variations and public search interests in Toxoplasma: a 16-year retrospective analysis of big data on Google Trends

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene ◽

10.1093/trstmh/traa147 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Lei Liu ◽

Peng Wang ◽

Su-Qin Jiang ◽

Zi-Rong Zhong ◽

Ting-Zheng Zhan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

New Zealand ◽

Google Trends ◽

Seasonal Patterns ◽

Search Term ◽

Internet Search ◽

Search Volume ◽

The Usa ◽

Search Data ◽

Relative Search Volume ◽

The Uk

Abstract Background This study aims to understand whether there is a seasonal change in the internet search interest for Toxoplasma by using the data derived from Google Trends (GT). Methods The present study searched for the relative search volume (RSV) for the search term ‘Toxoplasma’ in GT within six major English-speaking countries (Australia, New Zealand [Southern Hemisphere] and Canada, Ireland, the UK and the USA [Northern Hemisphere] from 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2019, utilizing the category of ‘health’. Data regarding the RSV of Toxoplasma was obtained and further statistical analysis was performed in R software using the ‘season’ package. Results There were significantly seasonal patterns for the RSV of the search term ‘Toxoplasma’ in five countries (all p<0.05), except for the UK. A peak in December–March and a trough in July–September (Canada, Ireland, the UK and the USA) were observed, while a peak in June/August and a trough in December/February (Australia, New Zealand) were also found. Moreover, the presence of seasonal patterns regarding RSV for ‘Toxoplasma’ between the Southern and Northern Hemispheres was also found (both p<0.05), with a reversed meteorological month. Conclusions Overall, our study revealed the seasonal variation for Toxoplasma in using internet search data from GT, providing additional evidence on seasonal patterns in Toxoplasma.

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Using internet search data to explore the global public concerns in ankylosing spondylitis

Postgraduate Medical Journal ◽

10.1136/postgradmedj-2019-137407 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. postgradmedj-2019-137407

Author(s):

Yong-Jun Mei ◽

Yan-Mei Mao ◽

Fan Cao ◽

Tao Wang ◽

Zhi-Jun Li

Keyword(s):

Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽

Ankylosing Spondylitis ◽

Public Interest ◽

Global Scale ◽

Hla B27 ◽

Internet Search ◽

Search Volume ◽

Significant Seasonal Variation ◽

Search Data ◽

Public Concerns

ObjectiveThis study explored the changes of global public interest in internet search of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) based on Google Trends (GT) data, in order to reflect the characteristics of AS itself.MethodsGT was used to obtain the search popularity scores of the term ’AS’ on a global scale, between January 2004 and December 2018, under the ’health’ classification. Based on the global search data of AS provided by GT, the cosinor analysis was used to test whether there was seasonality in AS.ResultsIn general, AS related search volume demonstrated a decreasing trend from January 2004 to December 2014 and then remain stable from January 2015 to December 2018. No obvious seasonal variations were detected in AS related search volume (amplitude=1.54; phase: month=3.9; low point: month=9.9; p>0.025), which peaked in April and bottomed out in October. The top 17 rising topics were adalimumab, spondylolisthesis, Morbus, Vladimir Mikhailovich Bekhterev, autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosis, HLA- B27 positive, Crohn’s disease, rheumatology, spondylosis, arthritis, uveitis, rheumatism, sacroiliac, psoriatic arthritis and spondylitis.ConclusionsGlobally, there is no significant seasonal variation in GT for AS. The top fast-growing topics related to AS may be beneficial for doctors to provide targeted health education of the disease to patients and their families.

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Google trends to identify public’s Interest in bowel cancer, A Web Based Analysis.

Journal of Clinical Research and Reports ◽

10.31579/2690-1919/120 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 01-04

Author(s):

T Manzoor

Keyword(s):

Bowel Cancer ◽

Google Trends ◽

Volume Index ◽

Search Term ◽

Health Campaigns ◽

Cancer Awareness ◽

Search Volume ◽

Search Data ◽

Public Health Campaigns ◽

Relative Search Volume

Aims: Bowel Cancer is one of the commonest cancers in UK. Google Trends were used to evaluate public’s search interest regarding bowel cancer. We hypothesize that the search data in Google Trends may be influenced by “Bowel cancer awareness month” campaign and that in future this might be a useful surrogate to monitor the effectiveness of public health campaigns. Methods: Google Trends were used to extract data presented as “Relative search volume index”(SVI) ranging between 0 to 100. “Bowel Cancer” was used as a search term to collect the relevant data for the last 5 years ( January 2015 to December 2019), All the peaks were assessed and their correlation with bowel cancer awareness month was noted. Results: We noticed an upward trend for the searched term during the months of April for most of the years where peak of search touched 90%. It corresponds with bowel cancer awareness month campaign. A downward trend was also noticed during the months of December during all years where it went down to 53%. This may represent avoidance of health related searches during the happy holiday period. Conclusion: Our study shows an encouraging association between bowel cancer awareness month campaign and public’s search interest. Results can be used in future to start effective awareness strategies and leverage future interventions.

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Identifying Relevant Disease Characteristics Regarding Psoriasis in Germany: A Retrospective Web Search Data Analysis (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.32833 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Fabian Wallnöfer ◽

Mert Erbas ◽

Linda Tizek ◽

Barbara Schuster ◽

Tilo Biedermann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Web Search ◽

Treatment Options ◽

Alternative Therapy ◽

General Category ◽

Therapy Options ◽

Federal States ◽

Search Volume ◽

Health Related ◽

Search Data ◽

The Web

BACKGROUND Little is known about what people with psoriasis are interested in when they search the web. As the Internet is becoming increasingly relevant as a source of information for health-related questions, the monitoring of online search behavior allows the assessment of interest in a disease on a more representative level by including people outside of medical settings. OBJECTIVE This study aims to reveal relevant aspects regarding psoriasis for people consulting the web. METHODS Google Ads Keyword Planner was used to select and evaluate relevant keywords for ‘psoriasis’ in the study period from September 2016 to August 2020. All keywords were qualitatively reviewed and descriptively analyzed in eleven categories. The study considered the search volume for all of Germany with German as the language preference. One-way analysis of variance and Pearson’s correlation coefficient were used to assess differences in the German states. RESULTS Among 11,170,740 German language Google searches on the topic of psoriasis, the keyword with the overall highest search volume was the German lay term for psoriasis “Schuppenflechte” (n=3,634,000; 32.5%), followed by “psoriasis” (n=2,675,600; 24.0%) and “psoriasis scalp” (n=369,200; 3.3%). In the general category, the most commonly searched for disease aspect related to the possible contagiousness of psoriasis (n=122,040). “Head” (51.1%), followed by “nails” (15.9%), “hands” (8.8%), “feet” (7.8%), and “genital/anal area” (6.1%), was the most frequently searched for localization. Pustular forms of psoriasis were overrepresented in the search volume relative to their frequency in the literature. Almost half of the search terms for therapy were represented by keywords related to alternative care and phytotherapy. Less than one percent of queries on therapy dealt with biologics. Significant differences between the federal states could be established for search volumes on treatment options (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS Queries on pustular forms and difficult-to-treat areas gained high online interest, which suggests a subjectively higher burden of disease or underdiagnosis. Concerning therapy, people most notably consulted the web for alternative therapy options instead of guideline-conform therapies. This suggests possible therapy dissatisfaction, lack of patient information, or lack of access to guideline-conform therapy options. The possible infectiousness of psoriasis seems to remain an issue in the general population and should be continously addressed to reduce stigmatization.

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Detecting epidemiological relevance among adenoid hypertrophy, rhinosinusitis, and allergic rhinitis through Internet search

10.21203/rs.3.rs-241071/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yingchao Yang ◽

Xinyi Li ◽

Qiang Ma ◽

Zhihui Fu ◽

Kaiming Su

Keyword(s):

Allergic Rhinitis ◽

Search Engine ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

Adenoid Hypertrophy ◽

Internet Search ◽

Search Terms ◽

Search Volume ◽

Internet Search Engine ◽

Search Data

Abstract Purpose : This study aimed to verify that adenoid hypertrophy (AH) and rhinosinusitis share similar epidemiologic patterns and that AH and allergic rhinitis (AR) are not related. Methods: Internet search engine query data from January 2011 to December 2019 were retrieved from the Baidu index. Monthly search volume was obtained in China for the following search terms in Chinese: “adenoid hypertrophy,” “rhinosinusitis,” and “allergic rhinitis”; the data obtained were then presented as percentages. Pearson’s and Spearman’ s correlation coefficients were used to detect the correlation among the search volumes of AH, rhinosinusitis, and AR. We also collected search data from the first 5 months of 2020, when segregation was implemented in China due to the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic. Then, we compared the search data to those obtained during the same period in 2019 to detect the effects of segregation on AH and AR to varying degrees. Results: Statistically significant differences were found between the search variations of AH and rhinosinusitis during 2011–2019 (R=0.643, P<0.05). However, search variations of AH and AR were negatively related (R=-0.239, P<0.05). The average monthly search volume of AH and rhinosinusitis correlated well (R=0.836, P<0.01), but no correlation was found between AH and AR. The search volume of AH and rhinosinusitis during the first 5 months in 2020 decreased, whereas that of AR increased during January–February. Conclusions: AH and rhinosinusitis are epidemiologically related, whereas AH and AR are not correlated with each other.

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Detecting Lung Cancer Trends by Leveraging Real-World and Internet-Based Data: Infodemiology Study (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.16184 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Chenjie Xu ◽

Hongxi Yang ◽

Li Sun ◽

Xinxi Cao ◽

Yabing Hou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Lung Cancer ◽

Correlation Coefficients ◽

State Level ◽

Mortality Rates ◽

Internet Search ◽

Search Terms ◽

Search Volume ◽

Incidence And Mortality ◽

Search Data ◽

Relative Search Volume

BACKGROUND Internet search data on health-related terms can reflect people’s concerns about their health status in near real time, and hence serve as a supplementary metric of disease characteristics. However, studies using internet search data to monitor and predict chronic diseases at a geographically finer state-level scale are sparse. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to explore the associations of internet search volumes for lung cancer with published cancer incidence and mortality data in the United States. METHODS We used Google relative search volumes, which represent the search frequency of specific search terms in Google. We performed cross-sectional analyses of the original and disease metrics at both national and state levels. A smoothed time series of relative search volumes was created to eliminate the effects of irregular changes on the search frequencies and obtain the long-term trends of search volumes for lung cancer at both the national and state levels. We also performed analyses of decomposed Google relative search volume data and disease metrics at the national and state levels. RESULTS The monthly trends of lung cancer-related internet hits were consistent with the trends of reported lung cancer rates at the national level. Ohio had the highest frequency for lung cancer-related search terms. At the state level, the relative search volume was significantly correlated with lung cancer incidence rates in 42 states, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.58 in Virginia to 0.94 in Oregon. Relative search volume was also significantly correlated with mortality in 47 states, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.58 in Oklahoma to 0.94 in North Carolina. Both the incidence and mortality rates of lung cancer were correlated with decomposed relative search volumes in all states excluding Vermont. CONCLUSIONS Internet search behaviors could reflect public awareness of lung cancer. Research on internet search behaviors could be a novel and timely approach to monitor and estimate the prevalence, incidence, and mortality rates of a broader range of cancers and even more health issues.

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Leveraging internet search data to assess prevalence, interest, and unmet needs of sarcoidosis in Germany

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-00131-x ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Charlotte Hilker ◽

Linda Tizek ◽

Melvin Rüth ◽

Maximilian Schielein ◽

Tilo Biedermann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Unmet Needs ◽

Climatic Factors ◽

Unmet Need ◽

Unknown Etiology ◽

Internet Search ◽

Search Volume ◽

Disease Information ◽

Multisystemic Disease ◽

Search Data ◽

German Cities

AbstractSarcoidosis is a multisystemic disease of connective tissue with granuloma formation of unknown etiology and unclear prevalence. Internet search data has been shown to correlate with disease incidences and the population’s interest as well as seasonal variations. Accordingly, aim of this study was to leverage internet search data on sarcoidosis-related keywords to identify unmet needs, geographical and seasonal factors influencing sarcoidosis and estimating its prevalence. In this retrospective longitudinal study, Google Ads Keyword Planner was used to determine the internet search volume of terms related to sarcoidosis across Germany as a whole and in 17 major German cities between July 2015 and June 2019. Identified keywords were qualitatively categorized, converted into number of searches per 100,000 inhabitants and analyzed including regional and seasonal differences. With 3,068,200 queries and 425 different sarcoidosis-related search terms in the studied time period, the search volume was very high for a rare disease. Most searches (67.9%) related to general disease information with “sarcoidosis”, "Löfgren's syndrome", "sarcoidosis lung", "Morbus Boeck" and "neurosarcoidosis" as the top five keywords. Searches per 100,000 inhabitants were comparable in all 17 cities but higher than in Germany as a whole. Overall, the search volume increased from 2015 to 2019 and peaked annually in European springtime with annual lows in European autumn and winter months. The overall high search volume suggests an unmet need for sarcoidosis-related information and a diagnostic gap. Seasonal fluctuations indicate environmental as well as climatic factors that may influence sarcoidosis.

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Global public interest in systemic lupus erythematosus: an investigation based on internet search data

Lupus ◽

10.1177/0961203319878502 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 28 (12) ◽

pp. 1435-1440 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

G C Wu ◽

F Cao ◽

H H Shen ◽

L Q Hu ◽

Y Hu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Seasonal Variation ◽

Public Interest ◽

Lupus Erythematosus ◽

Search Term ◽

Systemic Lupus ◽

Search Volume ◽

Significant Seasonal Variation ◽

Search Data ◽

Relative Search Volume

Objective This study aims at investigating the global public interest in seeking information about systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using Google Trends (GT). Methods An electronic search was performed using GT with the search term lupus as well as the option of disease from January 2004 to December 2018. Cosinor analysis was applied to detect the seasonality of SLE-related relative search volume (RSV). In addition, analysis on SLE-related topics including “hot topics” and “top rising topics” was also conducted. Results Overall, SLE-related RSV showed a decreasing trend from January 2004 to December 2013 and then demonstrated a slowly increasing trend from January 2014 to December 2018. Cosinor test showed no significant seasonal variation in SLE-related RSV ( p > .025). RSV peaked in May and reached the trough in November. The top seven rising topics were Selena Gomez, Sjögren syndrome, autoimmunity, rheumatoid arthritis, rheumatology, antinuclear antibody and autoimmune disease. Conclusion The results from GT analysis showed slowly increasing internet searches for SLE in recent years. This trend was followed by a peak of RSV in May and reached its lowest level in November. However, globally, the results did not reveal a significant seasonal variation in GT for SLE. Additionally, the top fast-growing topics regarding SLE may be valuable for doctors and nurses to provide timely education of the disease to patients, as well as promote the development of public health.

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Interest in Sexually Transmitted Infections: Analysis of Web Search Data Terms in Eleven Large German Cities from 2015 to 2019

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph18052771 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 18 (5) ◽

pp. 2771

Author(s):

Anna Caroline Pilz ◽

Linda Tizek ◽

Melvin Rüth ◽

Peter Seiringer ◽

Tilo Biedermann ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

Media Coverage ◽

Web Search ◽

Periodic Patterns ◽

Search Queries ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Search Volume ◽

Search Data ◽

Time Courses ◽

German Cities

Incidence of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis has increased in recent years in the US and in European countries. In order to implement effective educational programs, the interests of target populations have to be identified. Since the internet is an important source of information-gathering on health issues, this study investigates web search data in large German cities related to STIs. Google Ads Keyword Planner was used to identify STI-related terms and their search volume in eleven German cities from June 2015 to May 2019. The data obtained were analyzed descriptively with regard to total search volumes, search volumes of specific thematic areas, and search volumes per 100,000 inhabitants. Overall, 741 terms with a total search volume of 5,142,560 queries were identified, with more than 70% of all search queries including a specific disease and “chlamydia” being the overall most often searched term (n = 1,196,160). Time courses of search behavior displayed a continuous interest in STIs with synchronal and national rather than regional peaks. Volumes of search queries lacked periodic patterns. Based on the findings of this study, a more open public discussion about STIs with linkage to increased media coverage and clarification of responsibilities among all STI-treating disciplines concerning management of STIs seem advisable.

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