Search

Abstract Background Off-label use of semaglutide for non-diabetic weight loss (which regulators have linked to social media promotion) created worldwide supply shortages. We evaluated worldwide semaglutide interest measured by online search behavior to gauge social media and conventional print media reporting’s effect on search interest. Methods Using Google Trends Extended for Health (GTEH) multiple sampling, we retrieved regional online interest (ROI) for all countries and extracted timelines and top search queries for January 2021–August 2023 for countries with median ROI ≥ 20 using the “semaglutide” topic. We obtained semaglutide media reporting from the ProQuest database. We estimated the effect of media and within-country semaglutide interest on between-country interest with Granger causality analysis. We determined changepoints for trends within each country with joinpoint regression. We determined prominent themes in search queries for each country with natural language processing thematic analysis. Results Twenty-seven countries were included. Most countries showed an increase in semaglutide interest over time, with Canada and the USA showing the largest sustained interest. Most of the search interest arose from 2022 onwards. Granger’s analysis showed that media coverage could only partially explain interest, and interest in some countries partially preceded interest in others, with the UK and Germany showing strong relationships between news reports and lagged search interest. Joinpoint analysis identified up to four significant within-country changepoints. Most countries showed significant positive weekly trends in 2021–2022, although uptrends in search interest varied considerably between countries. One episode of the Dr. Oz show (TV media event) coincided with strong peaks in numerous countries. Natural language processing of top search queries showed some agreement between countries and country-specific themes. Weight loss was a major theme in most countries, while a diabetes theme was generally absent or weak. Some countries (Australia, Chile, South Africa, UK) had themes for buying Ozempic from (named) local retailers, and Germany had a theme related to buying Ozempic without a script. Conclusions GTEH data provided insights into global search interest in semaglutide and regional variation. Studies focusing on specific countries which include social media data can elucidate specific drivers behind the surge in off-label use of semaglutide.

Abstract Web search data are associated with disease incidence, population interest, and seasonal variations. This study aimed to investigate seasonal and geographical variations of web search data for sarcoidosis and to explore its association with external factors and sarcoidosis incidence in Sweden. Therefore, sarcoidosis-related data from Google Ads Keyword Planer (2017–2020) were generated for Sweden according to its 21 counties. The relationship between search volume and season, region, population demographics, environmental factors, and the sarcoidosis incidence listed in the National Patient Register was assessed. Analyses revealed seasonal variations for Sweden with an overall peak in the spring and autumn. Geographical differences were observed, with a higher search volume for north-western counties and the lowest search volume for Stockholm County. At the country level, the search volume was positively associated with the sarcoidosis incidence. Higher male proportion and older mean age were associated with a higher search volume, while a higher proportion of foreign-born residents, humidity, and mean temperature were associated with a lower search volume. Our analyses detected correlations between web search data, sarcoidosis incidence, and external factors. Analyses of sarcoidosis web search data therefore appear to be a valuable approach to disease surveillance to address medical needs and public interest.

The purpose of this observational study was to evaluate the potential epidemiological trend of arboviral diseases most reported in Italy by the dedicated national surveillance system (ISS data) compared to searches on the internet, assessing whether a correlation/association between users’ searches in Google and Wikipedia and real cases exists. The study considers a time interval from June 2012 to December 2023. We used the following Italian search terms: “Virus Toscana”, “Virus del Nilo occidentale” (West Nile Virus in English), “Encefalite trasmessa da zecche” (Tick Borne encephalitis in English), and “Dengue”. We overlapped Google Trends and Wikipedia data to perform a linear regression and correlation analysis. Statistical analyses were performed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) or Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (rho) as appropriate. All the correlations between the ISS data and Wikipedia or GT exhibited statistical significance. The correlations were strong for Dengue GT and ISS (rho = 0.71) and TBE GT and ISS (rho = 0.71), while the remaining correlations had values of r and rho between 0.32 and 0.67, showing a moderate temporal correlation. The observed correlations and regression models provide a foundation for future research, encouraging a more nuanced exploration of the dynamics between digital information-seeking behavior and disease prevalence.

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to characterize similarities and differences in HPV vaccine misinformation narratives present in the comment sections of top-performing initial creator posts across three social media platforms.MethodsA qualitative multi-method design was used to analyze comments collected from social media posts. A sample of 2996 comments were used for thematic analysis (identifying similar themes) and content analysis (identifying differences in comment type, opinion, and misinformation status).ResultsMisinformation was pervasive in comment sections. Cross-cutting misinformation themes included adverse reactions, unnecessary vaccine, conspiracy theories, and mistrust of authority. The proportion of comments related to these themes varied by platform. Initial creator posts crafted to be perceived as educational or with an anti-vaccine opinion had a higher proportion of misinformation in the comment sections. Facebook had the highest proportion of misinformation comments.ConclusionDifferences in the proportion of cross-cutting themes in the comment sections across platforms suggests the need for targeted communication strategies to counter misinformation narratives and support vaccine uptake.InnovationThis study is innovative due to its characterization of misinformation themes across three social media platforms using multiple qualitative methods to assess similarities and differences and focusing on conversations occurring within the comment sections.

Abstract Awareness is vital for cancer prevention. US studies show a strong link between web searches and cancer incidence. In Europe, the relationship remains unclear. This study characterizes regional and temporal relationships between cancer incidence and web searches and investigates the content of searches related to breast, cervical, colorectal, lung, prostate, and testicular cancer, brain tumors, and melanoma in Germany (July 2018–December 2019). Aggregate data from Google Ads Keyword Planner and national cancer registry data were analyzed. Spearman’s correlation coefficient (r S ) examined associations between cancer incidence and web search, repeated measures correlation (r rm ) assessed time trends and searches were qualitatively categorized. The frequency of malignancy-related web searches correlated with cancer incidence (r S = 0.88, P = 0.007), e.g., breast cancer had more queries than the lower-incidence cervical cancer. Seasonally, incidence and searches followed similar patterns, peaking in spring and fall, except for melanoma. Correlations between entity incidence and searches (0.037 ≤ r rm ≤ 0.208) varied regionally. Keywords mainly focused on diagnosis, symptoms, and general information, with variations between entities. In Germany, web searches correlated with regional and seasonal incidence, revealing differences between North/East and South/West. These insights may help improve prevention strategies by identifying regional needs and assessing impact of awareness campaigns.

Background: TikTok has increasingly become a source of information about reproductive health. Patients seeking health information about oral contraception on TikTok may be influenced by videos containing misinformation or biased information. Objective: This social media infodemiological study aims to provide a descriptive content analysis of the quality and reliability of oral contraceptive health information on TikTok. Study Design: Researchers screened 1,000 TikTok videos from December 2022 to March 2023 retrieved under various search terms related to oral contraceptives. Data, including engagement metrics such as views, likes, comments, saves, and shares, were recorded. Video content including contraceptive methods discussed, efficacy, tolerability, and side effects were recorded. Two reviewers independently used a modified DISCERN criteria and Global Quality Scale (GQS) to assess the quality and reliability of information for each video. Results: Five hundred seventy-four videos were analyzed after applying exclusion criteria. Videos had a median length of 27 seconds (Q1=13sec, Q3=57sec) and received a median of 35,000 total views (Q1=4856 views, Q3=411,400 views) and 166 views per day (Q1=28 views per day, Q3=2021 views per day). Video creators were 83.3% female and 58.7% white. The mean modified DISCERN score was 1.63 (SD=1.06) and the mean GQS score was 2.28 (SD=1.37). Video creators were 83.3% female and 58.7% white. The mean modified DISCERN score was 1.63 (SD=1.06) and the mean GQS score was 2.28 (SD=1.37). The most common topic discussed in the videos was the effects of contraception. Healthcare professionals had significantly higher DISCERN and GQS scores (p

Healthcare-associated infections have a significant impact on public health, and many patients and their next-of-kin are seeking information on the internet. The study aimed to assess the quality of online written content about healthcare-associated infections available in English, Romanian, and Hungarian languages.

Objective: To evaluate the quality, reliability and content of YouTube videos in Portuguese about dental trauma. Method: An infodemiological study was developed in which the first 60 videos found on YouTube with the terms “dental traumatism”, “dental trauma” and “broken tooth” were analyzed. Repeated videos, longer than one hour, in a language other than Portuguese, not intended for the lay public, resolution of questions, songs, interviews, shorts, and other subjects were excluded. The content of the videos was rated using a 23-point scale that classified them into low, moderate, and high content. Reliability was assessed using the modified DISCERN scale and the overall quality was assessed using the Global Quality Score (GQS) scale. The numbers of likes, dislikes, comments and engagement were also accounted. Data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney and Spearman’s correlation test (α= 5%). Result: A total of 55 videos were included in the study. Most were posted by healthcare professionals (92.7%) and just over half (63.7%) were of good overall quality. There were moderate, positive, and statistically significant correlations between DISCERN and GQS scores (r=0.454), duration (r=0.575), and trauma content (r=0.510). Overall quality correlated moderately, positively, and significantly with content scores (r=0.604) and video length (r=0.467). Conclusion: A significant proportion of Portuguese videos on YouTube about dental trauma had low content, quality and reliability information.

Abstract Backgrounds : Previous studies have indicated that users’ health information-seeking behavior can serve as a reflection of current health issues within a community. This study aimed to investigate the online information-seeking behavior of Iranian web users on Google about Henoch–Schönlein purpura (HSP). Methods Google Trends (GTr) was utilized to collect big data from the internet searches conducted by Iranian web users. A focus group discussion was employed to identify users’ selected keywords when searching for HSP. Additionally, keywords related to the disease’s symptoms were selected based on recent clinical studies. All keywords were queried in GTr from January 1, 2012 to October 30, 2022. The outputs were saved in an Excel format and analyzed using SPSS. Results The highest and lowest search rates of HSP were recorded in winter and summer, respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between HSP search rates and the terms “joint pain” (P = 0.007), “vomiting” (P = 0.032), “hands and feet swelling” (P = 0.041) and “seizure” (P

Abstract Background In recent years, innovative approaches utilizing Internet data have emerged in the field of syndromic surveillance. These novel methods aim to aid in the early prediction of epidemics across various scenarios and diseases. It has been observed that these systems demonstrate remarkable accuracy in monitoring outbreaks even before they become apparent in the general population. Therefore, they serve as valuable complementary tools to augment existing methodologies. In this study, we aimed to investigate the spatiotemporal distribution of migraine in China by leveraging Baidu Index (BI) data. Methods Migraine-related BI data from January 2014 to December 2022 were leveraged, covering 301 city-level areas from 31 provincial-level regions by using the keyword “migraine (偏头痛)”. Prevalence data from the Global Burden of Disease study (GBD) were attracted to ensure the reliability of utilizing migraine-related BI data for research. Comprehensive analytical methods were then followed to investigate migraine’s spatiotemporal distribution. The Seasonal-Trend decomposition procedure based on Loess (STL) was used to identify the temporal distribution. Spatial distribution was explored using the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic, standard deviation ellipse analysis, Moran’s Index, and Ordinary Kriging. The top eight migraine-related search terms were analyzed through the Demand Graph feature in the Baidu Index platform to understand the public’s concerns related to migraine. Results A strong association was observed between migraine-related BI and the prevalence data of migraine from GBD with a Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.983 (P = 4.96 × 10− 5). The overall trend of migraine-related BI showed a gradual upward trend over the years with a sharp increase from 2017 to 2019. Seasonality was observed and the peak period occurred in spring nationwide. The middle-lower reaches of the Yangtze River were found to be hotspots, while the eastern coastal areas had the highest concentration of migraine-related BI, with a gradual decrease towards the west. The most common search term related to migraine was “How to treat migraine quickly and effectively (偏头痛怎么办最快最有效的方法)”. Conclusions This study reveals important findings on migraine distribution in China, underscoring the urgent need for effective prevention and management strategies.

The paper examines the prognostic potential of the Google Trends resource as one of the infodemiological tools that allows collecting and analyzing the frequency of search queries on the Internet. The aim of the research is to analyze the Cyrillic search queries on Google to study the dynamics of the development of COVID-19 in Ukraine in 2020-2022. The time interval of the study from 15.03.2020 to 23.02.2022 was determined by available official information on the incidence of COVID-19 in Ukraine. The data obtained from Google Trends, normalized relative to the country of study and time interval, was downloaded in *.csv format. Correlation between quantitative indicators was assessed using the Spearman rank correlation coefficient. The authors proposed a new direction to study the dynamics of the development of COVID-19, which relies on the analysis of the search for symptoms and names of medications to predict the course of the disease. It has been shown that Google Trends is an effective tool for the rapid collection of information on the state of morbidity in the country. The use of keyword searches not only allows us to predict the development of the disease but can also be an effective tool of pharmacoeconomics. The revealed regularities can be used in international epidemiological studies, taking into account national characteristics, the geographical location of the country, the impact of preventive restrictions, etc.

Abstract Background Herpes zoster (HZ) and its complication postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), whose incidence are both expected to increase with an ageing population, have demonstrated high costs on healthcare systems and burden on individual quality of life. Previous studies have shown the possibility of assessing public interest in a disease and factors that influence search behaviour using internet search data. The aim of this study was to analyze internet search data for HZ in Germany to evaluate public interest in the disease and relevant influential temporal and geographic factors that modify search behavior. Methods Google Ads Keyword Planner was used to generate a list of HZ-related keywords including their search volume for Germany as a whole and its sixteen federal states from October 2016 to September 2020. All keywords were qualitatively categorized, and changes over time and correlations with population density, physician density, and vaccination rates were assessed using Welch’s ANOVA, Bonferroni correction for post-hoc analyses, and Pearson’s correlation. Results A total of 1,651 relevant keywords with a search volume of 20,816,210 searches were identified. Overall, national search volume increased each year of the study period with a peak in August 2020. More than half of the total search volume related to general queries (55.1%). The highest average monthly search volumes were observed in the states of Hamburg, Saarland, and Bremen. Average monthly search volume showed strong positive correlations with population density (r = .512, p = .043) and a strong negative correlation with the number of inhabitants per working physician (r = -.689, p = .003). Conclusions The study demonstrated that evaluating internet search data is a viable method for assessing public interest in HZ, thereby identifying areas of unmet need to support targeted public health campaigns.

IntroductionCocaine abuse represents a major public health concern. The social perception of cocaine has been changing over the decades, a phenomenon closely tied to its patterns of use and abuse. Twitter is a valuable tool to understand the status of drug use and abuse globally. However, no specific studies discussing cocaine have been conducted on this platform.Methods111,508 English and Spanish tweets containing “cocaine” from 2018 to 2022 were analyzed. 550 were manually studied, and the largest subset underwent automated classification. Then, tweets related to cocaine were analyzed to examine their content, types of Twitter users, usage patterns, health effects, and personal experiences. Geolocation data was also considered to understand regional differences.ResultsA total of 71,844 classifiable tweets were obtained. Among these, 15.95% of users discussed the harm of cocaine consumption to health. Media outlets had the highest number of tweets (35.11%) and the most frequent theme was social/political denunciation (67.88%). Regarding the experience related to consumption, there are more tweets with a negative sentiment. The 9.03% of tweets explicitly mention frequent use of the drug. The continent with the highest number of tweets was America (55.44% of the total).DiscussionThe findings underscore the significance of cocaine as a current social and political issue, with a predominant focus on political and social denunciation in the majority of tweets. Notably, the study reveals a concentration of tweets from the United States and South American countries, reflecting the high prevalence of cocaine-related disorders and overdose cases in these regions. Alarmingly, the study highlights the trivialization of cocaine consumption on Twitter, accompanied by a misleading promotion of its health benefits, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted interventions and antidrug content on social media platforms. Finally, the unexpected advocacy for cocaine by healthcare professionals raises concerns about potential drug abuse within this demographic, warranting further investigation.

IntroductionThe World Health Organization (WHO) defined an infodemic as an overabundance of information, accurate or not, in the digital and physical space, accompanying an acute health event such as an outbreak or epidemic. It can impact people’s risk perceptions, trust, and confidence in the health system, and health workers. As an immediate response, the WHO developed the infodemic management (IM) frameworks, research agenda, intervention frameworks, competencies, and processes for reference by health authorities.ObjectiveThis systematic review explored the response to and during acute health events by health authorities and other organizations operating in health. It also assessed the effectiveness of the current interventions.MethodsOn 26 June 2023, an online database search included Medline (Ovid), Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Epistemonikos, and the WHO website. It included English-only, peer-reviewed studies or reports covering IM processes applied by health organizations that reported their effectiveness. There was no restriction on publication dates. Two independent reviewers conducted all screening, inclusion, and quality assessments, and a third reviewer arbitrated any disagreement between the two reviewers.ResultsReviewers identified 945 records. After a final assessment, 29 studies were included in the review and were published between 2021 and 2023. Some countries (Pakistan, Yemen, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, Finland, South Korea, and Russia) applied different methods of IM to people’s behaviors. These included but were not limited to launching media and TV conservations, using web and scientific database searches, posting science-based COVID-19 information, implementing online surveys, and creating an innovative ecosystem of digital tools, and an Early AI-supported response with Social Listening (EARS) platform. Most of the interventions were effective in containing the harmful effects of COVID-19 infodemic. However, the quality of the evidence was not robust.DiscussionMost of the infodemic interventions applied during COVID-19 fall within the recommended actions of the WHO IM ecosystem. As a result, the study suggests that more research is needed into the challenges facing health systems in different operational environments and country contexts in relation to designing, implementing, and evaluating IM interventions, strategies, policies, and systems.

Public health surveillance (PHS) systems are an important tool to map the distribution and burden of disease as well as enable efficient distribution of resources to fight a disease. The surveillance systems are used to detect, report, track a disease as well as assess the response to the disease and people's attitudes. PHS systems are changing with the rapid change in technology and are becoming more real-time responsive with availability of new type of data such as online content and social media data. This review presents the basics of surveillance systems and develop from it to show the evolution of surveillance systems. The different forms of data available, surveillance methods and surveillance types are also reviewed such as social media based, web-based and clinical data based PHS maps. This review provide comprehensive details of the surveillance systems in terms of data types used, source of data and purpose of the surveillance system.

Science is a systematic approach to building and organizing knowledge through testable explanations and predictions. However, since scientists are human beings, they are fallible and subject to various systematic and random biases. The COVID-19 pandemic has definitively unmasked the humanity of scientists, who committed severe communication mistakes or even adhered to conspiracy hypotheses. Indeed, emotionality and rationality (if not epistemic) can foster intellectual dishonesty and compromise the effectiveness of critical thinking. This highlights the importance of the context in which a scientist works, as politeness and respect are essential to maintain lucidity, credibility, and transparency. However, outside of the academic context, many scientists do not behave with the same level of courtesy and carefulness required in scientific publishing. This happens despite communication – which is crucial for scientific investigation, dissemination, and debunking campaigns – being scientifically based on compassion. Specifically, an effective communication plan should be tailored to a specific audience, taking into account their emotional state, cultural and social background, and cognitive and psychological characteristics. The sole purpose must be to help and not to manipulate. Therefore, empathy, kindness, and moderation are essential tools for the success of science, from research to communication and education, and awareness campaigns and training courses should be instituted to promote such a message.

Abstract Background During a public health emergency, accurate and useful information can be drowned out by questions, concerns, information voids, conflicting information, and misinformation. Very few studies connect information exposure and trust to health behaviours, which limits available evidence to inform when and where to act to mitigate the burden of infodemics, especially in low resource settings. This research describes the features of a toolkit that can support studies linking information exposure to health behaviours at the individual level. Methods To meet the needs of the research community, we determined the functional and non-functional requirements of a research toolkit that can be used in studies measuring topic-specific information exposure and health behaviours. Most data-driven infodemiology research is designed to characterise content rather than measure associations between information exposure and health behaviours. Studies also tend to be limited to specific social media platforms, are unable to capture the breadth of individual information exposure that occur online and offline, and cannot measure differences in trust by information source or content. Studies are also designed very differently, limiting synthesis of results. Results We demonstrate a way to address these requirements via a web-based study platform that includes an app that participants use to record topic-specific information exposure, a browser plugin for tracking access to relevant webpages, questionnaires that can be delivered at any time during a study, and app-based incentives for participation such as visual analytics to compare trust levels with other participants. Other features of the platform include the ability to tailor studies to local contexts, ease of use for participants, and frictionless sharing of de-identified data for aggregating individual participant data in international meta-analyses. Conclusions Our proposed solution will be able to capture detailed data about information exposure and health behaviour data, standardise study design while simultaneously supporting localisation, and make it easy to synthesise individual participant data across studies. Future research will need to evaluate the toolkit in realistic scenarios to understand the usability of the toolkit for both participants and investigators.

This infodemiological study examined information-seeking behavior of users and the scientific production of Iranian researchers in the field of multiple Sclerosis (MS). The present study was conducted using a mixed-methods research approach. In the qualitative part, the preferred terms and keywords used by Iranian users in the field of MS from 2009 to 2019 were extracted through focused group discussions. In the quantitative part, based on the keywords extracted from the focus group discussions, the data on the information-seeking behavior of Iranian users were collected through Google Trends (using data mining techniques). Besides, the data on the scientific production of Iranian researchers published on multiple Sclerosis in PubMed, Web of Science (WoS), and Scopus from 2009 to 2019 were collected (using scientometric methods). The data collected using web mining techniques consisted of the keywords obtained from the focus group interviews, and the data collected using scientometric techniques included scientific products of Iranian researchers indexed in PubMed, Web of Science (WoS), and Scopus databases. Finally, to investigate the relationship between the information-seeking behavior of Internet users and the scientific production of researchers in the field of MS, the cross-correlation method, Shapiro-Wilk test, and Pearson correlation test was used in R software. The results of the Shapiro-Wilk test indicated that the information-seeking behavior of users in Google Trends and the scientific production of Iranian researchers on MS were normal (P-value> 0.05). However, the two variables had a powerfully negative and significant correlation (r = -0.81). The data also revealed that the keyword MS had the highest search volume index in Google Trends and was considered the final keyword in each category. The core category in the searches conducted by Iranian users in the MS field was MS treatment; most searches were conducted in 2013. The study's findings also indicated that the countries with higher search volume indexes for the keywords "MS" and "Multiple Sclerosis" worldwide were Italy, Spain, France, Russia, and Greece. However, the United States had the highest volume of scientific production. The results of the present study showed that Iranian researchers working in the field of multiple Sclerosis ignore reducing the questions of Iranian users in this field and have conducted their research projects for other reasons; In fact, many factors contribute to increasing the volume of scientific production in multiple Sclerosis. However, users' demand for health information or their information-seeking behavior online cannot be considered one of these factors. Information-seeking behavior of Iranian users in Google Trends and the scientific production of Iranian researchers have a strongly negative and significant correlation. Thus, the scientific production in the field of MS has increased over time. Still, Iranian users' tendency to engage in behaviors to seek information about MS in Google Trends has decreased over time. This implies that with scientific advancements in MS, physicians prevent most patients from searching the Internet for information about their disease. Nevertheless, the increasing use of online social media in recent years has effectively reduced the search volume index and changed information-seeking behavior.

Abstract Background In the era of the internet, patients seek health information ahead of getting the required treatment. Dental implant, which is among the most sought dental treatments, is not an exception. Incorrect health related information may lead to harmful deeds, so this study sought to assess the quality of web-based Arabic health information on dental implants. Methods The following engines were searched: Google ( http://www.google.com ), Yahoo! ( http://www.yahoo.com ), and Bing ( http://www.bing.com ) on 13 January 2022 for specific Arabic terms on “dental implants”. The first 100 consecutive websites from each engine were analyzed for eligibility. The eligible websites were assessed using JAMA benchmarks tool, DISCERN tool, and HONcode. An online tool (including FKGL, SMOG and FRE) was used to assess readability of the websites. Results There were 65 eligible websites, of which only one (1.5%) was HONcode certified. Only 3 (4.5%) websites attained a high score (> 65 out of 80) based on DISCERN tool: The mean DISCERN score was 41.14 ± 12.64. The mean JAMA score was 1.69 ± 1.13; however, only five (7.6%) met all JAMA criteria. The main shortcomings were attributed to not meeting the “Attribution” (54 [83.1%]) and “Authorship” (43 [66.2%]) criteria. The mean grade level of FKGL score was 7.0 ± 4.5. The majority of the websites (60%) scored less than 7, indicating easy content to understand. The mean grade level of SMOG score required to understand a website’s text was 3.2 ± 0.6. Around 91% of the websites had reading ease scores ≥ 80, suggesting that the website’s content was easy to read. Conclusion Unfortunately, although readable, most of the easily accessible web-based Arabic health information on dental implants does not meet the recognized quality standards.

Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose (SMBG) is an important tool in controlling blood glucose and managing Diabetes mellitus (DM) and input dispensing protocols are guided by treatment guidelines and specific regulations. The objective of this infodemiological study was to analyze publications on the Brazilian internet about SMBG protocols by Municipal and/or State Health Departments available on Brazilian websites. For the search, the Google tool was used and 286 URLs were identified. The research identified 23 protocols available on government websites, revealing that 10 (43.47%) are from the Southeast region, all protocols defined the diagnosis of Diabetes mellitus (DM) type 1, type 2 DM using insulin and gestational DM (GDM), in 11 protocols (47.8%) the monthly supply of capillary blood glucose test strips is provided by the pharmacy and the quantity varies from 30 to 120 strips depending on the type of diabetes and insulin use. The protocols analyzed emphasize the importance of DM education, with 60.8% of them incorporating educational programs. Despite the dynamics of information on the internet, the need for transparency in the inclusion criteria and maintenance of the supply of BGTS is highlighted, qualifying care for patients with DM. The development and dissemination of protocols strengthens the transparency of the SUS, assists in the organization of document flows between the professionals involved and equitable access to inputs.

Recent outbreaks of Avian Influenza across Europe have highlighted the potential for syndromic surveillance systems that consider other modes of data, namely social media. This study investigates the feasibility of using social media, primarily Twitter, to monitor illness outbreaks such as avian flu. Using temporal, geographical, and correlation analyses, we investigated the association between avian influenza tweets and officially verified cases in the United Kingdom in 2021 and 2022. Pearson correlation coefficient, bivariate Moran's I analysis and time series analysis, were among the methodologies used. The findings show a weak, statistically insignificant relationship between the number of tweets and confirmed cases in a temporal context, implying that relying simply on social media data for surveillance may be insufficient. The spatial analysis provided insights into the overlaps between confirmed cases and tweet locations, shedding light on regionally targeted interventions during outbreaks. Although social media can be useful for understanding public sentiment and concerns during outbreaks, it must be combined with traditional surveillance methods and official data sources for a more accurate and comprehensive approach. Improved data mining techniques and real-time analysis can improve outbreak detection and response even further. This study underscores the need of having a strong surveillance system in place to properly monitor and manage disease outbreaks and protect public health.

An infodemic is an information epidemic capable of compromising public health. This manuscript proposes an infoveillance method suitable for listening to web concerns on health to develop adequate infodemiological responses based on the World Health Organization indications. In particular, the case of COVID-19 vaccinations in Italy was investigated. Web interest and concern in COVID-19 vaccines over the past week (January 8–14, 2023) was investigated via the websites Google Trends and Talkwalker by searching for appropriate keywords. Thanks to the analysis of related queries and topics, it was possible to determine and examine the most debated topics relating to specific side effects. Emotional reactions regarding COVID-19 vaccines have been negative in varying percentages between 40 and 70 %, depending on the topic discussed. Feelings of alarm, derision, doubt, and anger were common (about 60 %). The concerns were mainly about the effectiveness against recent COVID-19 variants and alleged side effects such as sudden death, tumors, myocarditis, prion disease, and high ferritin. The most used media among those scrutinized was Twitter (over 90 % of interactions). The male audience participated more and showed more negativity than the female one. The age groups mainly involved were the under-45s. This research discussed the combined use of Google Trends and Talkwalker to conduct rapid infoveillance surveys. The results found showed that the web public has many doubts about COVID-19 vaccines, including the appearance of very rare or unproved side effects. Based on the WHO infodemic management strategy, it is essential that this or similar approaches are adopted by health and government authorities to listen to the community and calibrate appropriate infodemiological responses aimed at preserving public health.

The coronavirus or COVID-19 pandemic represents a health event with far-reaching global consequences, triggering a strong search interest in related topics on the Internet worldwide. The use of search engine data has become commonplace in research, but a universal standard for comparing different works is desirable to simplify the comparison. The coronavirus pandemic’s enormous impact and media coverage have triggered an exceptionally high search interest. Consequently, the maximum generable interest (MGI) on coronavirus is proposed as a universal reference for objectifying and comparing relative search interest in the future. This search interest can be explored with search engine data such as Google Trends data. Additional standards for medium and low search volumes can also be used to reflect the search interest of topics at different levels. Size standards, such as reference to MGI, may help make research more comparable and better evaluate relative search volumes. This study presents a framework for this purpose using the example of stroke.

Background: The scientific infodemic constitutes one of the greatest threats to public health and safety today. The credibility of the main dissemination agencies is an essential tool for adhering to measures to preserve public health. Methods: The study is a longitudinal retrospective conducted on a web platform to investigate netizens’ infodemic attitude towards World Health Organization. Reactions such as "like," "love," "affection," "surprise," "sadness," "anger," and "derision" were collected under World Health Organization (WHO) Facebook posts on climate change (from 2019 to 2022) and vaccines (from 2021 to 2022). Descriptive statistics, linear regression, and correlation methods were implemented to identify possible trends and relationships with the COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Results: These findings showed a worrying increase in derision reactions about climate change-related posts (up to 22% in November 2022, with a quadratically growing trend over time since December 2020). Furthermore, infodemic reactions such as anger and especially derision made up the majority of emotional reactions to vaccine-related posts since 2021 and up to 44% of total reactions in November 2022 (median since July 2021=9%, IQR: 4%-14%). Finally, there is evidence of a correlation between the start of the COVID-19 vaccination campaign and public distrust towards the WHO, even for issues unrelated to vaccines such as climate change. Conclusion: Based on what is known in the literature, these preliminary findings signal that the WHO is losing online public credibility towards extremely relevant issues for global health. Infodemiological interventions in accordance with the recent literature are urgently required.

Abstract Introduction Chronic kidney disease (CKD), which affects about 10% of global population, has become a global public health crisis in recent decades. It is well recognized that health information dissemination could change health behaviors, thereby greatly improving the early diagnosis and prevention of diseases. Due to fast dissemination, wide audience, intuitive and vivid, popularization through short videos has rapidly developed into the new main battlefield of health information. The objective of this study was to describe the properties of the CKD-related health information on short video apps. Methods Searching on short video apps with high-frequency words in kidney disease as keywords, the basic information of the uploaders was retrieved and extracted short video. Five quality dimensions, awareness, popularity, utility, validity and quality, of each video were assessed with numeric rating scale (NRS) by five volunteers with CKD and three nephrologists. Results From the platform of douyin, 65 uploaders and their 3973 short videos of CKD-related health information were investigated in this study. Most information of short videos had relatively high level in awareness, popularity and utility assessment, but some information had relatively low level in validity and quality assessment; 24 (36.9%) uploaders were from governmental hospital (tertiary hospital); 19 uploaders (29.2%) uploaded more than 100 short videos and 49 uploaders (75.4%) updated their videos weekly, and 16 uploaders (24.6%) didn’t update short videos more than one month. There were 4 uploaders (6.2%) have more than 1 million follows, and 39 uploaders (60%) had follows less than 10,000. “Lifestyles”, “Common symptoms of kidney disease” and “Nephritis or kidney disease” were the three main contents of these short videos. The comprehensive data of uploaders with millions of follows in nephrology specialty were much lower than that of orthopedics and other specialty. Conclusion The validity and quality of short video is still unsatisfactory, and CKD-related health information also need to be led and improved, although the awareness, popularity, and utility of health information about CKD is acceptable. The public should be selective and cautious in seeking CKD information on social media.

Abstract Background Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affects common diseases, but its impact on hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) is unclear. Google Trends data is beneficial for approximate real-time statistics and because of ease in access, is expected to be used for infection explanation from an information-seeking behavior perspective. We aimed to explain HFMD cases before and during COVID-19 using Google Trends. Methods HFMD cases were obtained from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, and Google search data from 2009 to 2021 in Japan were downloaded from Google Trends. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated between HFMD cases and the search topic “HFMD” from 2009 to 2021. Japanese tweets containing “HFMD” were retrieved to select search terms for further analysis. Search terms with counts larger than 1000 and belonging to ranges of infection sources, susceptible sites, susceptible populations, symptoms, treatment, preventive measures, and identified diseases were retained. Cross-correlation analyses were conducted to detect lag changes between HFMD cases and search terms before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Multiple linear regressions with backward elimination processing were used to identify the most significant terms for HFMD explanation. Results HFMD cases and Google search volume peaked around July in most years, excluding 2020 and 2021. The search topic “HFMD” presented strong correlations with HFMD cases, except in 2020 when the COVID-19 outbreak occurred. In addition, the differences in lags for 73 (72.3%) search terms were negative, which might indicate increasing public awareness of HFMD infections during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of multiple linear regression demonstrated that significant search terms contained the same meanings but expanded informative search content during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions The significant terms for the explanation of HFMD cases before and during COVID-19 were different. Awareness of HFMD infections in Japan may have improved during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continuous monitoring is important to promote public health and prevent resurgence. The public interest reflected in information-seeking behavior can be helpful for public health surveillance.

Background: Health on the Net (HON) promotes access to reliable medical information. The study aimed to investigate the prevalence of HON certification and whether it is associated with the quality of informational content. Methods: The study included the results of 21 researches conducted between 2018-2021 about the quality of online medical information (1040 Romanian and English language webpages). HON certification was assessed using the HONcode toolbar application. Completeness and accuracy scores were extracted from previous research. The frequency of certification and compliance with individual HON principles was calculated. Associations between HON certification and information quality scores (completeness and accuracy) were tested using the student t-test. The threshold for statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results: Health on the Net certification was present on 1.1% and 21.6% of the Romanian and English websites, respectively. Compliance with the HON principles varied between 9.7% and 82.7% of Romanian-language websites and between 35.6% and 88.5% of English-language ones. The principle with the highest compliance was transparency regarding the texts' authors in both languages. The minimum compliance was with the principle of displaying the date of the last update in the case of Romanian-language websites and of attributing sources in the case of English-language websites. Association tests between HON certification and information quality showed the following results: HON certification vs. completeness p=0.201 for the Romanian subsample and p

Background: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways and one of the most important non-communicable diseases worldwide. Analyzing crowdsourced data can help understand public interest and unmet needs as well as potential factors influencing search behavior. Objective: The study aimed to investigate asthma-related web search data in Europe to identify possible regional and seasonal variations and to assess public interest. Methods: Google Ads Keyword Planner was used to measure search volume for search terms related to asthma, allergic asthma, and bronchial asthma in 21 European countries between January 2018 and December 2021. The top 10 keywords of each country were categorized qualitatively. Search volume per 100 000 inhabitants was descriptively assessed in terms of regional and seasonal trends. Spearman correlations between search volume and pollen concentration as well as coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases were investigated. Results: The median search volume per 100 000 inhabitants for asthma and allergic asthma was highest in Northern and Western Europe, while the highest search volume for bronchial asthma was observed in Western and Eastern regions. A seasonal trend was identified for all search terms and in all regions. Correlations were found between search frequency and pollen load and search behavior and COVID-19 cases. Overall, Europeans were most interested in the diseases in general, their treatment options, and symptoms. Conclusion: These results highlighted the need for reliable and region-specific information about the disease and for public campaigns to improve asthma control. The study also emphasizes the importance of using crowdsourced data for a more encompassing overview beyond conventional healthcare data.

Wikipedia is an open-source online encyclopedia and one of the most-read sources of online health information. Likewise, Wikipedia page views have also been analyzed to inform public health services and policies. The present review analyzed 29 studies utilizing Wikipedia page views for health research. Most reviewed studies were published in recent years and emanated from high-income countries. Together with Wikipedia page views, most studies also used data from other internet sources, such as Google, Twitter, YouTube, and Reddit. The reviewed studies also explored various non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and health interventions to describe changes in the utilization of online health information from Wikipedia, to examine the effect of public events on public interest and information usage about health-related Wikipedia pages, to estimate and predict the incidence and prevalence of diseases, to predict data from other internet data sources, to evaluate the effectiveness of health education activities, and to explore the evolution of a health topic. Given some of the limitations in replicating some of the reviewed studies, future research can specify the specific Wikipedia page or pages analyzed, the language of the Wikipedia pages examined, dates of data collection, dates explored, type of data, and whether page views were limited to Internet users and whether web crawlers and redirects to the Wikipedia page were included. Future research can also explore public interest in other commonly read health topics available in Wikipedia, develop Wikipedia-based models that can be used to predict disease incidence and improve Wikipedia-based health education activities.

In 2019, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved emtricitabine and tenofovir alafenamide (Descovy) as another option for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) prevention for high-risk adults and adolescents. With the introduction of this new PrEP, millions of current users on emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (Truvada), another PrEP medication currently used to prevent HIV transmission, have options of whether to continue their current treatment regime or transition to new treatment options. The objective of this study was to conduct a descriptive analysis to characterize user-generated social media conversations on Reddit associated with FDA-approved PrEP prevention treatment options. Key themes identified were associated with perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes associated with the transition of use of different PrEP medications. Data were collected retrospectively and prospectively from the Reddit platform for posts with keywords filtered for HIV, PrEP, and FDA-approved PrEP prevention treatment from October 2020 to December 2020. We chose the Reddit platform based on prior studies that have identified PrEP user conversations and insights on access challenges for specific AIDS communities, such as gays and men who have sex with men (MSM). Reddit posts were then manually annotated using an inductive content coding approach for key themes regarding the transition of use and other emergent themes from user-generated content. Formal coding of text data was conducted with refined codes, and sub-codes created. A total of 3,120 posts were analyzed from Reddit resulting in 315 posts that were coded for PrEP and 105 posts (33.33%) specific to user discussions regarding the transition of PrEP prevention. Overall, users expressed interest in drug switching to Descovy, particularly in the context of poorer adherence or concerns about existing side effects associated with Truvada. Other major themes included discussions about the cost of Descovy, apprehension about side effects in comparison to Truvada, insurance coverage changes, and discussions about the donation of Truvada to other users after transitioning. Among these discussions, topics related to sexual minorities, including MSM, reported concerns when considering a switch in their HIV prevention regime. Understanding the changing public perception associated with the introduction of new HIV prevention is important in the context of market access, patient safety, pharmacovigilance, and health equity, particularly among high-risk populations such as MSM. Results support the use of social media from a digital pharmacovigilance perspective to better understand emerging HIV prevention, treatment, and adherence challenges experienced by patients.

BackgroundPeople are conversing about bariatric surgery on social media, but little is known about the main themes being discussed.ObjectiveTo analyze discussions regarding bariatric surgery on social media platforms and to establish a cross-cultural comparison of posts geolocated in France and the United States.MethodsPosts were retrieved between January 2015 and April 2021 from general, publicly accessed sites and health-related forums geolocated in both countries. After processing and cleaning the data, posts of patients and caregivers about bariatric surgery were identified using a supervised machine learning algorithm.ResultsThe analysis dataset contained a total of 10,800 posts from 4,947 web users in France and 51,804 posts from 40,278 web users in the United States. In France, post-operative follow-up (n = 3,251, 30.1% of posts), healthcare pathways (n = 2,171, 20.1% of the posts), and complementary and alternative weight loss therapies (n = 1,652, 15.3% of the posts) were among the most discussed topics. In the United States, the experience with bariatric surgery (n = 11,138, 21.5% of the posts) and the role of physical activity and diet in weight-loss programs before surgery (n = 9,325, 18% of the posts) were among the most discussed topics.ConclusionSocial media analysis provides a valuable toolset for clinicians to help them increase patient-centered care by integrating the patients’ and caregivers’ needs and concerns into the management of bariatric surgery.

Abstract Background Social media has become an essential tool to implement risk communication, giving health information could gain more exposure by retweeting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods Content analysis was conducted to scrutinize the official (national and provincial) public health agencies’ Weibo posts (n = 4396) to identify features of information sources and message features (structure, style content). The Zero-Inflated Negative Binomial (ZINB) model was adopted to analyze the association between these features and the frequency of the retweeted messages. Results Results indicated that features of source and health information, such as structure, style, and content, were correlated to retweeting. The results of IRR further suggested that compared to provincial accounts, messages from national health authorities’ accounts gained more retweeting. Regarding the information features, messages with hashtags#, picture, video have been retweeted more often than messages without any of these features respectively, while messages with hyperlinks received fewer retweets than messages without hyperlinks. In terms of the information structure, messages with the sentiment (!) have been retweeted more frequently than messages without sentiment. Concerning content, messages containing severity, reassurance, efficacy, and action frame have been retweeted with higher frequency, while messages with uncertainty frames have been retweeted less often. Conclusions Health organizations and medical professionals should pay close attention to the features of health information sources, structures, style, and content to satisfy the public’s information needs and preferences to promote the public's health engagement. Designing suitable information systems and promoting health communication strategies during different pandemic stages may improve public awareness of the COVID-19, alleviate negative emotions, and promote preventive measures to curb the spread of the virus.

The high utilization of infodemiological tools for psychiatric and mental health topics signals the emergence of a new discipline. Drawing on the definition of infodemiology by Eysenbach, this emerging field can be termed “psychiatric and mental health infodemiology,” defined as the science of distribution and determinants of information in an electronic medium, including the internet, or in a population to inform mental health services and policies. Since Google Trends is one of its popular tools, this minireview describes its advantages, application, methodological considerations, and limitations in psychiatric and mental health research. The advantage of Google Trends is the nature of its data, which may represent the actual behavior rather than their users' stated preferences in real-time through automatic anonymization. As such, it can provide readily available data about sensitive health topics like mental disorders. Therefore, Google Trends has been used to explore public concerns, interests, and behaviors about psychiatric and mental health phenomena, service providers, and specific disciplines. In this regard, several methodological can be considered by studies using Google Trends, including documenting their exact keywords, query category, time range, location, and date of retrieval. Likewise, its limitations should be accounted for in its interpretation, including restricted representation of people who use the Google search engine, limited validity in areas with low internet penetration or freedom of speech, does not provide absolute search volumes, unknown sampled queries, and limited transparency in its algorithm, especially the terms and idioms it subsumes under its “topic” keywords.

Background: Mental health promotion programs have included online strategies in their repertoire. Likewise, there has been an increasing utilization of online mental health information. Thus, there may be a need to explore the utilization of online information for depressive disorders. In doing so, it can reveal public expectations, needs, and online venues that can be used for depression information programs. Methods: This infodemiological study explored the worldwide searches for major depressive disorder and persistent depressive disorder using relative search volumes (RSV) and top and rising related queries and topics from Google Trends. RSV is a value that represents the frequency or volume of searches normalized against the largest search volume in the study period and geography. Top and rising search-related queries and topics are terms and topics that online users also input into the Google search engine related to the keyword of interest. After describing the data, future RSVs were predicted using ARIMA. Results: The findings revealed that searches for depressive disorders decreased and may further decrease in succeeding years. It also revealed increasing searches for diagnostics criteria, including DSM-5. There was also increased public interest in portraying depression. It also found a digital divide in searches for depressive disorders, where high-income countries searched for more online information for depressive disorders. Conclusion: This study findings’ highlights the needs and opportunities in online information for depressive disorders. Nonetheless, further studies are needed to understand the utilization and effects of online information about depressive disorders in improving mental health promotion and literacy.

Background: Common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites are not reportable conditions in most countries. Their worldwide epidemiologic evolution and distribution are mostly unknown. Objective: To explore the evolution and geographic distribution of common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites through an analysis of Google Trends. Methods: Search trends from 2004 through March 2021 for common cutaneous infestations and arthropod bites were extracted from Google Trends, quantified, and analyzed. Results: Time series decomposition showed that total search term volume for pubic lice decreased worldwide over the study period, while the interest for ticks, pediculosis, insect bites, scabies, lice, and bed bugs increased (in increasing order). The interest for bed bugs was more pronounced in the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics countries, interest for lice in Near East and Middle East countries, and interest for pubic lice in South American countries. Internet searches for bed bugs, insect bites, and ticks exhibited the highest seasonal patterns. Limitations: Retrospective analysis limits interpretation. Conclusion: Surveillance systems based on Google Trends may enhance the timeliness of traditional surveillance systems and suggest that, while most cutaneous infestations increase worldwide, pubic lice may be globally declining.

Introduction: Understanding the emergent role of the internet on the health-seeking behavior of people is critical not only in the areas of medicine and public health but also in the field of infodemiology. Methods: Using Google Trends, data on global search queries for Alzheimer disease (AD) between January 2004 and April 2021 were analyzed. The relationship between online interest, as reflected by search volume index (SVI), and measures of disease burden, namely prevalence, deaths, and disability-adjusted life years, was evaluated. Results: There was a reduction in the tendency to search for AD during the past two decades. SVI peaks corresponded to news of famous people with AD and awareness months. Symptoms, causes, and differences with the term dementia were central queries for persons interested in AD. No notable overall correlation between SVI and measures of disease burden was found due to competing results. Sub-group analyses, however, showed that these correlations may be influenced by socioeconomic development, with strong negative significant associations observed in lower middle-income countries. Conclusion: Online interest in AD may represent a more complex metric influenced by socioeconomic factors. Awareness of the impact of celebrity diagnosis and awareness months on online search behavior may prove useful in the planning of public health campaigns for AD.

Abstract Background Psychological health has been one of the aspects affected by the recent COVID-19 pandemic. We aim to evaluate the patterns of Google search for mental distress symptoms of Italian citizens during the various phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods We assessed Google searches for psychological-health related words. We gathered and analyzed data on daily search queries on depression, anxiety, and insomnia from Google Trends, in a time ranging from the Pre-COVID phase (beginning 25th January 2020) up to the second wave phase (ending 17th October 2020). We performed three general linear models on search trends of the three words and tested whether and to what extent official data about new cases of COVID-19, information searching on new cases, and the government health measures impacted on these trends. Results Average daily search queries were higher for anxiety, followed by depression and insomnia. General linear models performed to assess differences in daily search queries for anxiety, depression and insomnia were significant, respectively [F(13, 253) = 6.80, P

ABSTRACT: Objective: Incorporating spatial analyses and online health information queries may be beneficial in understanding the role of Google relative search volume (RSV) data as a secondary public health surveillance tool during pandemics. This study identified coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) clustering and defined the predictability performance of Google RSV models in clustered and non-clustered areas of the USA.Methods: Getis-Ord General and local G statistics were used to identify monthly clustering patterns. Monthly country- and state-level correlations between new daily COVID-19 cases and Google RSVs were assessed using Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and Poisson regression models for January–December 2020.Results: Huge clusters involving multiple states were found, which resulted from various control measures in each state. This demonstrates the importance of state-to-state coordination in implementing control measures to tackle the spread of outbreaks. Variability in Google RSV model performance was found among states and time periods, possibly suggesting the need to use different frameworks for Google RSV data in each state. Moreover, the sign of correlation can be utilized to understand public responses to control and preventive measures, as well as in communicating risk.Conclusion: COVID-19 Google RSV model accuracy in the USA may be influenced by COVID-19 transmission dynamics, policy-driven community awareness and past outbreak experiences.

Abstract Background Google Trends (GT) is being used as an epidemiological tool to study coronavirus disease (COVID-19) by identifying keywords in search trends that are predictive for the COVID-19 epidemiological burden. However, many of the earlier GT-based studies include potential statistical fallacies by measuring the correlation between non-stationary time sequences without adjusting for multiple comparisons or the confounding of media coverage, leading to concerns about the increased risk of obtaining false-positive results. In this study, we aimed to apply statistically more favorable methods to validate the earlier GT-based COVID-19 study results. Methods We extracted the relative GT search volume for keywords associated with COVID-19 symptoms, and evaluated their Granger-causality to weekly COVID-19 positivity in eight English-speaking countries and Japan. In addition, the impact of media coverage on keywords with significant Granger-causality was further evaluated using Japanese regional data. Results Our Granger causality-based approach largely decreased (by up to approximately one-third) the number of keywords identified as having a significant temporal relationship with the COVID-19 trend when compared to those identified by Pearson or Spearman’s rank correlation-based approach. “Sense of smell” and “loss of smell” were the most reliable GT keywords across all the evaluated countries; however, when adjusted with their media coverage, these keyword trends did not Granger-cause the COVID-19 positivity trends (in Japan). Conclusions Our results suggest that some of the search keywords reported as candidate predictive measures in earlier GT-based COVID-19 studies may potentially be unreliable; therefore, caution is necessary when interpreting published GT-based study results.

ObjectiveThis study set out to explore public interest through information search trends on diet and weight loss before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.MethodsThe Google Trends database was evaluated for the relative internet search popularity on diet-related search terms, including top and rising diet-related terms. The search range was before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2018 to January 2022) in the Indonesia region. We analyzed the Relative Search Volume (RSV) data using line charts, correlation, and comparison tests.ResultsSearch queries of “lose weight” was higher during the pandemic (58.34 ± 9.70 vs. 68.69 ± 7.72; p

Real-world data represent an increasingly important source of knowledge in health care. However, assessing their representativeness can be challenging. We compared (i) real-world data from a mobile app for allergic rhinitis (MASK-air®) on the usage of oral H1-antihistamines from 2016 to 2020 in 10 European countries with (ii) Google Trends data on the relative volume of searches for such antihistamines. For each country, we sorted 5 different oral H1-antihistamines by their frequency of use and volume of searches. We found perfect agreement on the order of antihistamine use in MASK-air® and in Google Trends searches in 4 countries (France, Germany, Sweden, and the United Kingdom). Different levels of agreement were observed in the remaining countries (kappa coefficient from −0.50 to 0.75). Oral H1-antihistamine data from Google Trends and MASK-air® were consistent with nationwide medication sales data from France, Germany, and the United Kingdom. These results suggest that MASK-air® data may be consistent with other sources of real-world data, although assessing the representativeness of their users may require further studies.

PurposeTo explore the characteristics of spatial-temporal prevalence and public attention of dry eye diseases (DED) through Baidu Index (BI) based on infodemiology method.MethodsThe data about BI of DED were collected from Baidu search engine using “Dry eye diseases” as keyword. The spatial and temporal distribution of DED were analyzed through timeseries data decomposition as well as spatial autocorrelation and hotspot detection of BI about DED. The most popular related words and demographic characteristics were recorded to determine the public attention of DED.ResultsThe trends of BI about DED in Chinese mainland had gradually increased over time with a rapid increase from 2012 to 2014 and in 2018. The results of timeseries decomposition indicated that there was seasonality in the distribution of BI about DED with the peak in winter, especially in northern regions. The geographic distribution demonstrated the search activities of DED was highest in the east of Chinese mainland while lowest in the west. The vast majority of people searching for DED were teenagers (20–29 years), with a predominance of females. Glaucoma, keratitis and conjunctivitis were the diseases most often confused with DED, and the artificial tears were the most common treatment for DED in Chinese mainland according to the BI about DED.ConclusionsThe analysis revealed the seasonality, geographic hotspots and public concern of DED through BI in Chinese mainland, which provided new insights into the epidemiology of DED.

In some COVID-19 patients, symptoms persist for several weeks and sometimes, after the acute disease phase, these patients develop new symptoms, which then represents a transition into the so-called long COVID. The exact demarcation of the terms and generally applicable definitions are still discussed, but the phenomenon is most commonly referred to as long COVID.In this study, Google Trends data have been used to track levels of public awareness for long COVID and some important symptoms during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.The results of this analysis clearly demonstrate the public interest in the new topic of long COVID, as documented by a corresponding search volume. This is related to the disease COVID-19, which is being spread by the corona pandemic. Relevant symptoms for COVID-19 or long COVID, for example ageusia and anosmia, only started to receive more public attention during the pandemic.Therefore, Google Trends is a useful tool to demonstrate the population's awareness of certain infodemiological topics like long COVID.

Abstract Background The internet has made significant contributions towards health education. Analyzing the pattern of online behavior regarding meningitis and vaccinations may be worthwhile. It is hypothesized that the online search patterns in meningitis are correlated with its number of cases and the search patterns of its related vaccines. Methods This was an infodemiological study that determined the relationship among online search interest in meningitis, its worldwide number of cases and its associated vaccines. Using Google Trends™ Search Volume Indices (SVIs), we evaluated the search queries “meningitis,” “pneumococcal vaccine,” “BCG vaccine,” “meningococcal vaccine” and “influenza vaccine” in January 2021, covering January 2008 to December 2020. Spearman rank correlation was used to determine correlations between these queries. Results The worldwide search interest in meningitis from 2008 to 2020 showed an average SVI of 46 ± 8.8. The most searched topics were symptoms, vaccines, and infectious agents with SVIs of 100, 52, and 39, respectively. The top three countries with the highest search interest were Ghana, Kazakhstan, and Kenya. There were weak, but statistically significant correlations between meningitis and the BCG (ρ = 0.369, p

Abstract Background With headache experienced by up to 75% of adults worldwide in the last year, primary headache disorders constitute a major public health problem, yet they remain under-diagnosed and under-treated. Headache prevalence and burden is changing as society evolves, with headache now occurring earlier in life. Contributing factors, mostly associated with changing life style, such as stress, bad posture, physical inactivity, sleep disturbance, poor diet and excess use of digital technology may be associated with the phenomenon that could be labelled as ‘21st century headache’. This is especially notable in workplace and learning environments where headache impacts mental clarity and therefore cognitive performance. The headache-related impact on productivity and absenteeism negatively influences an individual’s behaviour and quality of life, and is also associated with a high economic cost. Since the majority of sufferers opt to self-treat rather than seek medical advice, substantial knowledge on headache prevalence, causation and burden is unknown globally. Mapping the entire population of headache sufferers can close this knowledge gap, leading to better headache management. The broad use of digital technology to gather real world data on headache triggers, burden and management strategies, in self-treated population will allow these sufferers to access appropriate support and medication, and therefore improve quality of life. Conclusion These data can yield important insights into a substantial global healthcare issue and form the basis for improved patient awareness, professional education, clinical study design and drug development.

On 24 February 2022, the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops began, starting a dramatic conflict. As in all modern conflicts, the battlefield is both real and virtual. Social networks have had peaks in use and many scholars have seen a strong risk of disinformation. In this study, through an unsupervised topic tracking system implemented with Natural Language Processing and graph-based techniques framed within a biological metaphor, the Italian social context is analyzed, in particular, by processing data from Twitter (texts and metadata) captured during the first month of the war. The system, improved if compared to previous versions, has proved to be effective in highlighting the emerging topics, all the main events and any links between them.

Abstract Background Currently, the Internet seems to be a helpful tool for obtaining information about everything that we think about, including diseases, their prevention and treatment approaches. However, doubts exist regarding the quality and readability of such information. This study sought to assess the quality and readability of web-based Arabic information on periodontal disease. Methods In this infodemiological study, the Google, Yahoo!, and Bing search engines were searched using specific Arabic terms on periodontal disease. The first 100 consecutive websites from each engine were obtained. The eligible websites were categorized as commercial, health/professional, journalism, and other. The following tools were applied to assess the quality of the information on the included websites: the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode), the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, and the DISCERN tool. The readability was assessed using an online readability tool. Results Of the 300 websites, 89 were eligible for quality and readability analyses. Only two websites (2.3%) were HONcode certified. Based on the DISCERN tool, 43 (48.3%) websites had low scores. The mean score of the JAMA benchmarks was 1.6 ± 1.0, but only 3 (3.4%) websites achieved “yes” responses for all four JAMA criteria. Based on the DISCERN tool, health/professional websites revealed the highest quality of information compared to other website categories. Most of the health/professional websites revealed moderate-quality information, while 55% of the commercial websites, 66% of journalism websites, and 43% of other websites showed poor quality information. Regarding readability, most of the analyzed websites presented simple and readable written content. Conclusions Aside from readable content, Arabic health information on the analyzed websites on periodontal disease is below the required level of quality.

Abstract Background This study sought to assess the quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19. Methods Three search engines were searched on 13 April 2020 for specific Arabic terms on COVID-19. The first 100 consecutive websites from each engine were analyzed for eligibility, which resulted in a sample of 36 websites. These websites were subjected to quality assessments using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks tool, the DISCERN tool, and Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode) certification. The readability of the websites was assessed using an online readability calculator. Results Among the 36 eligible websites, only one (2.7%) was HONcode certified. No website attained a high score based on the criteria of the DISCERN tool; the mean score of all websites was 31.5 ± 12.55. As regards the JAMA benchmarks results, a mean score of 2.08 ± 1.05 was achieved by the websites; however, only four (11.1%) met all the JAMA criteria. The average grade levels for readability were 7.2 ± 7.5, 3.3 ± 0.6 and 93.5 ± 19.4 for the Flesch Kincaid Grade Level, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, and Flesch Reading Ease scales, respectively. Conclusion Almost all of the most easily accessible web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19 does not meet recognized quality standards regardless of the level of readability and ability to be understood by the general population of Arabic speakers.