Abstract
Data from the Google search engine enables the assessment of Google users’ interest in a specific topic. We analyzed the world trends in searches associated with the topics “antibiotics” and “probiotics” from January 2004 to June 2019, using Google Trends. We analyzed the yearly trends and seasonal variation. We performed an R-Spearman rank correlation analysis of the relative search volume (RSV) of the topics in 2015 with antibiotic consumption, health expenditure per capita, and the 2015 Human Development Index (HDI) of the country. The mean interest in the topic of antibiotics was equal to RSV = 57.5 ± 17.9, rising by 3.7 RSV/year (6.5%/year), while that of probiotics was RSV = 14.1 ± 7.9, which rose by 1.7 RSV/year (12.1%). The seasonal amplitude of antibiotics was equal to RSV = 9.8, while probiotics was RSV = 2.7. The seasonal peaks for both topics were observed in the cold months. The RSV of probiotics, but not antibiotics, was associated with antibiotic consumption (Rs = 0.35; p < 0.01), health expenditure (Rs = 0.41; p < 0.001), and HDI (Rs = 0.44; p < 0.001). Google users’ interest in antibiotic- and probiotic-related information increases from year to year, and peaks in cold months. The interest in probiotic-related information might be associated with antibiotic consumption, health expenditure, and the development status of the Google users’ country.
Highlights
The data on the efficacy of probiotics is growing [1], and is generating interest among scientists, clinicians, and patients [2]
In the initial analysis with all five topics, the mean Relative search volume (RSV) of antibiotics was equal to 57.6 ± 18.0, probiotic RSV = 14.1 ± 7.9, antimicrobial resistance RSV = 1.7 ± 0.6, prebiotic RSV = 1.3 ± 0.7, and synbiotics RSV
We found that Google users’ interest in antibiotics is on average four times higher than for probiotics
Summary
The data on the efficacy of probiotics is growing [1], and is generating interest among scientists, clinicians, and patients [2]. Some changes over time, which may be associated with the seasonal variation of gastrointestinal ailments, reveal a seasonal variation with a higher prevalence in autumn–winter [4,5]. It is reported that the consumption of antibiotics peaks in winter and decreases in summer [6,7]. These seasonal variations may be associated with an increase in the number of probiotic recommendations to relieve gastrointestinal complaints, or to restore gut microbiota. We observed that the sales of probiotics are higher in colder than in warm months (Łoniewski and Marlicz-unpublished data). Up to 90% of Web users look for health-related information [8]. The Internet provides immediate access to an enormous amount of information
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