An Infodemiological Analysis of Google Trends in COVID-19 Outbreak

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Adem Doganer ◽  
Zuopeng (Justin) Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Forecast Model ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Swiss Society ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
South Korean ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
New Type ◽  
Relative Search Volume

A new type of coronavirus (COVID-19), detected at the end of December 2019 in Wuhan, China, can pass from person to person, spreading very quickly. The COVID-19 outbreak has created stress among societies. This study aims to evaluate the usability of Google Trends data in predicting and modeling the COVID-19 outbreak and the attitudes of different societies to it by using an infodemiological method. The authors collected the search words related to coronavirus and their relative search volume (RSV) from 11 different countries affected by the COVID-19 outbreak from Google Trends. A positive correlation was found between the trend rate of the words searched on the internet and the number of COVID-19 cases in countries related to the COVID-19 outbreak (p<0.05). There was a significant difference between 11 country societies in the daily RSV for the COVID-19 outbreak (p<0.05). The Turkish, South Korean, Iranian, and Swiss society have searched more intensely on the internet for COVID-19 than others. The research shows that Google Trends data can be used to build the forecast model for case numbers in the COVID-19 outbreak. Besides, Google Trends data provides information about different societies' attitudes in the COVID-19 outbreak.

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

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&lt;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&lt;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.

scholarly journals Infoveillance of Mucormycosis in India: A Google™ Trends Based Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-385
Author(s):  
Gaurav Jain ◽  
Boudhayan Das Munshi ◽  
Venkata Lakshmi Narasimha ◽  
Saurabh Varshney
Keyword(s):  
Google Trends ◽  
Family Welfare ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Past ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Actual Field ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
Second Wave ◽  
Potential Tool

India reported highest incidence of Mucormycosis in the past and during the second wave of COVID-19. Google Trends is a potential tool for infoveillance of infectious disease like Mucormycosis. Relative Search Volume (RSV) for term Mucormycosis (+ Black fungus), diabetes, steroid, oxygen, D-dimer (+ferritin) had been extracted from Google Trends for three months (March to May 2021) and state-wise prevalence for Mucormycosis released by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare was used for the analysis. India reported highest RSV for Mucormycosis among the top five countries with COVID-19 cases. RSV peak for oxygen preceded the Mucormycosis spike. Correlation between state-wise prevalence of Mucormycosis and their corresponding RSV was not significant. While a positive correlation was observed between Mucormycosis, diabetes and steroid, it was not statistically significant. Infoveillance using Google trends can serve as a proxy marker for the public health needs and priorities much before actual field surveys.

scholarly journals Increase in public interest concerning alternative medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia: a Google Trends study

F1000Research ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 1201
Author(s):  
Dewi Rokhmah ◽  
Khaidar Ali ◽  
Serius Miliyani Dwi Putri ◽  
Khoiron Khoiron
Keyword(s):  
Alternative Medicine ◽  
Public Interest ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Rank Test ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Alternative Medicines ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
Time Lag Correlation

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered individuals to increase their healthy behaviour in order to prevent transmission, including improving their immunity potentially through the use of alternative medicines. This study aimed to examine public interest on alternative medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic using Google Trends in Indonesia. Methods: Employing a quantitative study, the Spearman rank test was used to analyze the correlation between Google Relative Search Volume (RSV) of various search terms, within the categories of alternative medicine, herbal medicine and practical activity, with COVID-19 cases. In addition, time lag correlation was also investigated. Results: Public interest toward alternative medicine during COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia is dramatically escalating. All search term categories (alternative medicine, medical herbal, and alternative medicine activities) were positively associated with COVID-19 cases (p<0.05). The terms ‘ginger’ (r=0.6376), ‘curcumin’ (r=0.6550) and ‘planting ginger’ (0.6713) had the strongest correlation. Furthermore, time lag correlation between COVID-19 and Google RSV was also positively significant (p<0.05). Conclusion: Public interest concerning alternative medicine related terms dramatically increased after the first COVID-19 confirmed case was reported in Indonesia. Time lag correlation showed good performance using weekly data. The Indonesian Government will play an important role to provide and monitor information related to alternative medicine in order for the population to receive the maximum benefit.

scholarly journals The Influence of Mass Media on Italian Web Users During COVID-19: An Infodemiological Analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Rovetta ◽  
Lucia Castaldo
Keyword(s):  
Mass Media ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Scientific Basis ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Online Information ◽  
Information Giving ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, the world has had to face a growing infodemic, which has caused severe damage to economic and health systems and has often compromised the effectiveness of infection containment regulations. Although this has spread mainly through social media, there are numerous occasions in which the mass media have shared dangerous information, giving resonance to statements without a scientific basis. For these reasons, infoveillance and infodemiology methods are increasingly exploited to monitor online information traffic. The same tools have also been used to make epidemiological predictions. Among these, Google Trends - a service by GoogleTM that quantifies the web interest of users in the form of relative search volume - has often been adopted by the scientific community. In this regard, the purpose of this paper is to use Google Trends to estimate the impact of Italian mass media on users' web searches in order to understand the role of press and television channels in both the infodemic and the interest of Italian netizens on COVID-19. In conclusion, our results suggest that the Italian mass media have played a decisive role both in the spread of the infodemic and in addressing netizens' web interest, thus favoring the adoption of terms unsuitable for identifying the novel coronavirus (COVID- 19 disease). Therefore, it is highly advisable that the directors of news channels and newspapers be more cautious and government dissemination agencies exert more control over such news.

scholarly journals Public Interest in Acne on the Internet: Comparison of Search Information From Google Trends and Naver

10.2196/19427 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. e19427
Author(s):  
Tae Heum Park ◽  
Woo Il Kim ◽  
Suyeon Park ◽  
Jaeouk Ahn ◽  
Moon Kyun Cho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acne Vulgaris ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The Public ◽  
Dermatological Diseases ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Korean Traditional Medicine ◽  
Common Skin ◽  
Education And Care

Background Acne vulgaris is a common skin disease primarily affecting young adults. Given that the internet has become a major source of health information, especially among the young, the internet is a powerful tool of communication and has a significant influence on patients. Objective This study aimed to clarify the features of patients’ interest in and evaluate the quality of information about acne vulgaris on the internet. Methods We compared the search volumes on acne vulgaris with those of other dermatological diseases using Google Trends from January 2004 to August 2019. We also determined the search volumes for relevant keywords of acne vulgaris on Google and Naver and evaluated the quality of answers to the queries in KnowledgeiN. Results The regression analysis of Google Trends data demonstrated that the patients’ interest in acne vulgaris was higher than that for other dermatological diseases, such as atopic dermatitis (β=−20.33, 95% CI –22.27 to –18.39, P<.001) and urticaria (β=−27.09, 95% CI –29.03 to –25.15, P<.001) and has increased yearly (β=2.38, 95% CI 2.05 to 2.71, P<.001). The search volume for acne vulgaris was significantly higher in the summer than in the spring (β=–5.04, 95% CI –9.21 to –0.88, P=.018) and on weekends than on weekdays (β=–6.68, 95% CI –13.18 to –0.18, P=.044). The most frequently searched relevant keywords with “acne vulgaris” and “cause” were “stress,” “food,” and “cosmetics.” Among food, the 2 highest acne vulgaris–related keywords were milk and wheat in Naver and coffee and ramen in Google. The queries in Naver KnowledgeiN were mostly answered by a Korean traditional medicine doctor (53.4%) or the public (33.6%), but only 12.0% by dermatologists. Conclusions Physicians should be aware of patients’ interest in and beliefs about acne vulgaris to provide the best patient education and care, both online and in the clinic.

scholarly journals Internet search results correlate with seasonal variation of sarcoidosis

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amanda Stanton ◽  
Steven J. Katz
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Epidemiologic Studies ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Medical Diagnoses ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Significant Seasonal Variation ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
Low Prevalence

Abstract Background The etiology and pathophysiology of sarcoidosis remains unclear, with epidemiologic studies limited by its relatively low prevalence. The internet has prompted patients to seek information about medical diagnoses online; Google Trends provides access to an anonymized version of this data, which has a new role in epidemiology. We hypothesize that there is seasonal variation in the relative search interest of sarcoidosis, which would suggest seasonal variation in the incidence of sarcoidosis. Methods Google Trends was used to assess the relative search volume from 2010 to 2020 for “sarcoidosis” and “sarcoid” in 7 countries. ANOVA with multiple comparisons was performed to compare the mean relative search volume by month and by season for each country, with a p-value less than 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results Our analysis revealed a significant seasonal variation in search popularity in 4 of the 7 countries and in the Northern Hemispheric countries combined. Direct comparison showed search terms to be more popular in spring, specifically March & April, than in the winter. Southern Hemisphere data was not statistically significant but showed a trend towards a nadir in December and a peak in September and October. Conclusions Overall, these findings suggest seasonal variation with a possible peak in spring and nadir in winter. This supports the hypothesis that sarcoidosis has seasonal variation and is more commonly diagnosed in spring, but more evidence is needed to support this, as well as investigation into the pathophysiology of sarcoidosis to explain this phenomenon.

scholarly journals Tendencias temporales de los patrones de búsqueda de información sobre VIH/sida en España = Temporal trends in the search of information about HIV/AIDS in Spain

2019 ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
María Sanz-Lorente ◽  
Javier Sanz-Valero ◽  
Carmina Wanden-Berghe
Keyword(s):  
Time Course ◽  
Temporal Evolution ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Hiv And Aids ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Acquired Immunodeficiency ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
Immunodeficiency Syndrome ◽  
Hiv Aids

Resumen: Introducción: El uso de datos de la Web sobre salud ha demostrado ser útil para evaluar diversos aspectos del comportamiento humano. Objetivo: analizar la tendencia de las búsquedas de información sobre VIH/sida que se realizan, en España, a través de Google. Metodología: Estudio descriptivo. Los datos se obtuvieron mediante acceso online a Google Trends, utilizándose los términos “VIH” y “sida”. Variables estudiadas: consultas relacionadas; hitos; volumen de búsqueda relativo (VBR) y evolución temporal. Fecha de consulta 25 noviembre 2018. Resultados: Se observaron 3 hitos sobre “sida”. El cociente medio entre los dos términos, 1,78 ± 0,13, presentó diferencias significativas (t = 5,29; p < 0,001). El VBR demostró diferencias entre los términos en la 1ª época y la evolución temporal para “sida” fue claramente decreciente (R2 = 0,89; p < 0.001); para “VIH” fue ligeramente creciente (R2 = 0,02; p = 0,087). La relación del VBR entre los términos para el periodo estudiado mostró una relación escasa (R = 0,21; p = 0,005). Conclusiones: La evolución temporal obtenida probablemente se deba a un cambio de preocupación social, del sida al VIH, o a un mayor conocimiento de la enfermedad, que refleja la evolución histórica del VIH y el sida: la infección por el VIH como enfermedad crónica.Palabras clave: Síndrome de Inmunodeficiencia Adquirida; VIH; sida; Acceso a la Información; Google Trends.Abstract: Introduction: The use of health data from the Web has proven useful for evaluating various aspects of human behavior. Objective: to analyze the trend of searches for information on HIV/AIDS carried out in Spain, through Google. Methodology: Descriptive study. The data were obtained through online access to Google Trends, using the terms «HIV» and «AIDS». The variables were: related consultations; milestones; relative search volume (RSV) and temporal evolution. Consultation date 25 November 2018. Results: Users used search terms related to the main terms. There were three milestones in the results of search on «AIDS». The ratio between the two terms, 1.78 ± 0.13, presented significant differences (t = 5.29; p < 0.001). The RSV showed differences between the terms in the first time to study and the time course for ‘AIDS’ was clearly decreasing (R2 = 0.89, p < 0.001), while for ‘HIV’ was slightly increased (R2 = 0.02; p = 0,087). The relation of the RSV, between the two terms, for the entire period studied showed a low relation (R = 0.21, p = 0.005). Conclusions: the temporal evolution obtained is probably due to a change of social concern, from AIDS to HIV, or perhaps to a better understanding of the disease, which reflects the historical evolution of HIV and AIDS: the HIV infection as a chronic disease.Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome; HIV; AIDS; Access to Information; Google Trends.

scholarly journals Using Application Programming Interfaces to Access Google Data for Health Research: Protocol for a Methodological Framework (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Zepecki ◽  
Sylvia Guendelman ◽  
John DeNero ◽  
Ndola Prata
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Birth Control ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Health Trends ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Application Programming ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND Individuals are increasingly turning to search engines like Google to obtain health information and access resources. Analysis of Google search queries offers a novel approach, which is part of the methodological toolkit for infodemiology or infoveillance researchers, to understanding population health concerns and needs in real time or near-real time. While searches predominantly have been examined with the Google Trends website tool, newer application programming interfaces (APIs) are now available to academics to draw a richer landscape of searches. These APIs allow users to write code in languages like Python to retrieve sample data directly from Google servers. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel protocol to determine the top queries, volume of queries, and the top sites reached by a population searching on the web for a specific health term. The protocol retrieves Google search data obtained from three Google APIs: Google Trends, Google Health Trends (also referred to as Flu Trends), and Google Custom Search. METHODS Our protocol consisted of four steps: (1) developing a master list of top search queries for an initial search term using Google Trends, (2) gathering information on relative search volume using Google Health Trends, (3) determining the most popular sites using Google Custom Search, and (4) calculating estimated total search volume. We tested the protocol following key procedures at each step and verified its usefulness by examining search traffic on <i>birth control</i> in 2017 in the United States. Two separate programmers working independently achieved similar results with insignificant variation due to sample variability. RESULTS We successfully tested the methodology on the initial search term <i>birth control</i>. We identified top search queries for <i>birth control</i>, of which <i>birth control pill</i> was the most popular and obtained the relative and estimated total search volume for the top queries: relative search volume was 0.54 for the pill, corresponding to an estimated 9.3-10.7 million searches. We used the estimates of the proportion of search activity for the top queries to arrive at a generated list of the most popular websites: for the pill, the Planned Parenthood website was the top site. CONCLUSIONS The proposed methodological framework demonstrates how to retrieve Google query data from multiple Google APIs and provides thorough documentation required to systematically identify search queries and websites, as well as estimate relative and total search volume of queries in real time or near-real time in specific locations and time periods. Although the protocol needs further testing, it allows researchers to replicate the steps and shows promise in advancing our understanding of population-level health concerns. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR1-10.2196/16543

scholarly journals Analysis of Keywords Used in Internet Searches for Melanoma Information: Observational Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Japbani K Nanda ◽  
Jennifer L Hay ◽  
Michael A Marchetti
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Skin Cancer ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Keywords Melanoma ◽  
Internet Searches

BACKGROUND The internet is an accessible resource for health care information and is often used by patients to learn about melanoma. The keywords that are used in internet searches can reflect internet users’ interest in specific topics and the public’s awareness of health-related issues. OBJECTIVE This study aims to describe the most frequently used keywords, questions, and corresponding websites in internet searches for melanoma. METHODS This is an observational study using data retrieved from Google Trends, Alexa Internet, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and SE Ranking for the keywords “melanoma” and “skin cancer.” RESULTS Average search interest as per Google Trends was greater for the keyword “skin cancer” than for the keyword “melanoma.” Searches for the top 25 keywords in 3 databases resulted in 34 unique melanoma keywords and 33 unique skin cancer keywords. Melanoma keywords were most frequently related to clinicopathologic classification (n=11, 32%), and skin cancer keywords were most frequently about diagnosis (n=14, 42%). Questions about the prognosis of melanoma appeared most frequently among the most popular melanoma questions, but general questions or questions about the diagnosis of melanoma contributed the greatest proportion of searches by search volume. Skin cancer question searches were most commonly about diagnosis. The highest proportion of searches for popular melanoma and skin cancer keywords most frequently sent traffic to websites from nonprofit organizations and media companies, respectively. CONCLUSIONS We identified common keywords, questions, and websites used to access information about melanoma on the internet. These data may help health care providers and public health professionals when educating and counseling patients and the public about skin cancer.

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

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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