Utilized Google Trends Research Articles

Trends of public interest in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) from 2004 to 2022.

Public interest in sport-related medical conditions is known to be affected by social media and pop cultural coverage. The purpose of this project was to assess the relationship between popular culture concerning chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and analyze of how often this topic was searched on the internet. The objective of this study was to investigate deviations in public interest following player incidents of CTE and the effects that the media has had on public interest in CTE. To determine our primary objective, we utilized Google Trends to extract the monthly relative search interest (RSI) in CTE between January 2002 and October 2022. To assess the increase in RSI following a major event, an autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) to predict RSI from March 2012 was created through the end ofthe period, and calculated the differences between the actual and forecasted values. Data indicate that RSI increased over time, specifically following the release of the movie Concussion. The peak in RSI (100) over this timespan was following the release of Aaron Hernandez's autopsy results in 2017, which was 87.8 (95 % CI: 8.7-15.7) higher than forecasted, showing a 720.3 % increase in RSI. While research was published regarding CTE in 2005, the first major spike in search interest occurred after Junior Seau died in 2012. Increasing public interest in CTE continued when media exposure conveyed autopsies of former NFL players, the movie Concussion, and the release of The Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez. Given this increased interest inCTE, we recommend that media broadcasters become more educated on brain injuries, as well as the movement of Brain Injury Awareness Month and Concussion Awareness Day. There has been an increase in public interest in CTE from 2004 through 2022 with surges following media releases of events involving NFL players. Therefore, physicians and media broadcasters must create partnerships to better educate the public about head injuries and the effects of CTE.

Integration of Google Trends Data in Predicting New HIV Cases in Western Visayas, the Philippines

Recent studies have demonstrated the capacity of Internet search data to be used for monitoring and tracking infectious diseases. Given that the Philippines has one of the most rapidly expanding human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemics in the globe, it is imperative to enhance the local surveillance and prediction of HIV by utilizing easily accessible web data such as Google Trends. This study aims to [1] evaluate the advantages of utilizing Google Trends data (GTD) in predicting new monthly HIV diagnoses in the Western Visayas and [2] determine the suitable modeling approach that effectively utilizes this tool in forecasting HIV cases in the region. Data on new monthly HIV cases from January 2012–December 2022 in Western Visayas was requested from the Department of Health Region VI Office and HIV-related internet search data was obtained from Google Trends. Data imputations were applied to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 on HIV data. The results of the traditional seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model were compared with the results of the neural network autoregression (NNAR) model using cross-validation via rolling forecast origin. GTD have a moderately weak but significant association with HIV case numbers in Western Visayas. NNAR models outperformed the traditional SARIMA models in terms of mean absolute percentage error, mean absolute error, and root mean squared error. The use of Google search data in NNAR models improved the predictive accuracy of the forecasts when using moving average imputation as a replacement for outliers. However, this does not accurately represent the overall NNAR process, as the linear interpolation replacements did not yield comparable outcomes. This study showed that, if suitable models are adopted, utilizing HIV-related web data has the potential to produce real-time surveillance systems for HIV monitoring and forecasting. This presents an opportunity to enhance local surveillance in the country not just for HIV but also for other infectious diseases such as tuberculosis and dengue. Internet search data is free and readily available, and public health agencies can adopt this type of modeling, even with limited funding; however, further study is advised.

Search traffic for inflatable penile prosthesis increased following the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States: a Google Trends analysis.

We aimed to determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on search trends for inflatable penile implants in the US. Search trends for inflatable penile implants ranging from 2016 through 2023 were analyzed utilizing Google Trends. Associations between search trends and US Census Bureau data, including average household income and per capita income, were analyzed. Pre- and post- COVID-19, the interest in inflatable penile implants has been steadily increasing on average in the US. The average household income for counties with the highest interest in inflatable penile implants during the pre-COVID era was $53,136, whereas for the counties with the highest interest in inflatable penile implants in the post-COVID era, the average decreased to $50,940. Similarly, the average per capita median decreased from $35,209 to $34,547. Search traffic for inflatable penile prosthesis increased following the pandemic in the US. Nevertheless, post-pandemic, individuals with lower income levels showed no change in interest in penile implant searches compared to the pre-pandemic period. Understanding this steadiness in interest can inform healthcare professionals and policymakers to tailor interventions and educational efforts to reach a broader audience, ensuring equitable access to information and healthcare resources.

Digital smoke signals: Event-driven online search trends in Heated Tobacco Products in Poland.

Heated tobacco products (HTPs) have emerged as a prominent category in the tobacco market, particularly within European countries such as Poland. The introduction of HTPs has been met with increasing public interest, reflected in online search behavior. However, the public health implications of this new form of tobacco consumption remain a concern due to the lack of comprehensive research on its long-term effects. This study aimed to track the trends in online searches related to HTPs in Poland between 2016 and 2022, and to assess the impact of significant events on these trends in order to provide insights into public awareness of HTPs. Utilizing Google Trends, a free source tool, this study analyzed relative search volume (RSV) for HTP-related keywords in Poland. Key events were identified and mapped against the fluctuations in RSV to understand their impact on search behavior. The analysis was confined to specific HTP-related keywords, excluding broader tobacco-related terms. A notable increase in HTP-related search queries was observed, particularly around the time of product launches and legislative changes. The largest increases occurred during the introduction of HTPs to the Polish market and during major events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The study demonstrates a market interest in HTPs among Polish internet users, with search trends influenced by product launches and policy changes. The findings highlight the importance of monitoring online behaviors to inform public health efforts, despite limitations such as the lack of demographic data. Further research is needed to deepen the understanding of how these online trends correlate with actual consumer behavior and product sales.

Online Interest in Urology Residency: A Comprehensive Analysis of Current Internet Temporal and Geographic Patterns

Urology is one of the most competitive specialties in medicine, creating a challenge for prospective students looking to secure a residency position. Our study aims to assess online interest in urology residency by querying online interaction with search terms and criteria for urology residency programs. Utilizing Google Trends analysis from 2011 to 2024, this study examined urology-related search volume indexes, as well as temporal and geographical patterns. Furthermore, the number of residency positions from the American Urological Association database for the 2022 match process was evaluated. Our analysis of temporal trends revealed increased interest in urologist salaries from 2011 to 2019, followed by a decline from 2019 to 2023. Interest in urology-related interviews, applications, research, and letters increased in 2019, marked by the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. California, New York, and Texas had the lowest interest-to-position (IP) ratio, while Maryland, New Jersey, and Virginia had the highest IP ratio. Our analysis reveals an evolving interest in salaries, residency programs, and USMLE Step 1 changes in areas connected with urology. We report key geographical areas with high urology residency interest and low numbers of programs, implying a need for expanded residencies in underserved yet high-interest areas. Awareness and continued interest monitoring after the COVID-19 pandemic is critical for understanding interest in urology applicants.

Google Search Trends to Assess Public Interest and Concern About Pegcetacoplan for the Treatment of Geographic Atrophy.

To assess global trends in interest surrounding the newly Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved treatment for geographic atrophy, (GA), Syfovre (pegcetacoplan), and related searches. We utilized Google Trends, in order to gauge the public interest in Syfovre from October 16, 2022, to October 8, 2023. Notable spikes in relative search volumes (RSV)s for "Syfovre" were observed in mid-to-late February 2023, and in March and April 2023, coinciding with the drug's FDA approval and introduction to the market. Of the various side effects, retinal vasculitis garnered the most significant attention, with a sharp rise in RSV in mid-July 2023. Geographic variation was evident, with the highest RSVs for "Syfovre" originating from users on the East Coast. Google Trends proves to be a useful tool for gaining insight into public interest in pegcetacoplan as a treatment for GA. [Ophthalmic Surg Lasers Imaging Retina 2024;55:452-460.].

Assessment of using Google Trends for real-time monitoring of infectious disease outbreaks: a measles case study

Measles remains a significant threat to children worldwide despite the availability of effective vaccines. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the situation by leading to the postponement of supplementary measles immunization activities. Along with this postponement, measles surveillance also deteriorated, with the lowest number of submitted specimens in over a decade. In this study, we focus on measles as a challenging case study due to its high vaccination coverage, which leads to smaller outbreaks and potentially weaker signals on Google Trends. Our research aimed to explore the feasibility of using Google Trends for real-time monitoring of infectious disease outbreaks. We evaluated the correlation between Google Trends searches and clinical case data using the Pearson correlation coefficient and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient across 30 European countries and Japan. The results revealed that Google Trends was most suitable for monitoring acute disease outbreaks at the regional level in high-income countries, even when there are only a few weekly cases. For example, from 2017 to 2019, the Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.86 (p-value< 0.05) at the prefecture level for Okinawa, Japan, versus 0.33 (p-value< 0.05) at the national level for Japan. Furthermore, we found that the Pearson correlation coefficient may be more suitable than Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient for evaluating the correlations between Google Trends search data and clinical case data. This study highlighted the potential of utilizing Google Trends as a valuable tool for timely public health interventions to respond to infectious disease outbreaks, even in the context of diseases with high vaccine coverage.

Tendency to Consume Probiotics in the General Population: An Ecological Study

Background: Reports indicate that probiotics have beneficial effects on both the prevention and treatment of numerous diseases. Objectives: This study aims to explore the overall inclination toward probiotic consumption, its trends, and its association with common gastrointestinal diseases. Methods: We conducted an ecological study utilizing Google Trends (GTs) and Global Concern data. We analyzed search terms related to “probiotic," “Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)," “Peptic," “Constipation," “Diarrhea," and “Stomach Cancer (SC)" across all searches performed on GTs from January 2014 to July 2023. Results: Globally and in Iran, there has been an increasing interest in consuming probiotics over time. This increase is linked to a rise in cases of stomach cancer and irritable bowel syndrome, which, in turn, boosts the propensity to utilize probiotics. Globally, there is a direct correlation between probiotic consumption and IBS (R = +0.69, P = 0.0001), peptic disorders (R = +0.71, P = 0.001), Constipation (R = +0.93, P = 0.001), and diarrhea (R = +0.89, P = 0.001). In Iran, significant direct correlations were found between probiotic consumption and both constipation (R = +0.36, P = 0.001) and diarrhea (R = +0.40, P = 0.001). Among probiotic-containing products, yogurt was preferred over others worldwide and in Iran. Conclusions: The interest in probiotic use is high globally and in Iran. Consequently, there is a need for strategies to educate the public about the areas where the benefits of probiotics are well-supported by evidence and where information is either weak or lacking.

Philippine COVID-19 Vaccination Through an Infodemiological Lens: A One-year Web-based Search Volume Analysis From 2020 to 2021

This infodemiological research explored the online public interest in COVID-19 vaccine registration and its association with Filipinos’ interest in its side effects, efficacy, alcohol interaction, safety, and dangerousness. It utilized Google Trends to gather search volumes in the Philippines from December 2020 to November 2021. After describing the queries and search volumes, multiple linear regression was done. The results showed that the Filipino public was more interested in the safety of COVID-19 vaccines than their danger. Interest in its efficacy, interaction, and side effects initially increased but decreased over time. Vaccine registration initially dropped but later increased in November 2021, perhaps due to a national holiday for public vaccination. Strikingly, interest in COVID-19 vaccine registration was only associated with its safety and had no relationship with interaction, efficacy, and side effects. Therefore, reliable online information on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines is crucial to improving public interest in COVID-19 vaccination.

Information Quality and Readability: ChatGPT's Responses to the Most Common Questions About Spinal Cord Injury

This study aimed to assess the quality, readability, and comprehension of texts generated by ChatGPT in response to commonly asked questions about spinal cord injury (SCI). The study utilized Google Trends to identify the most frequently searched keywords related to SCI. The identified keywords were sequentially inputted into ChatGPT, and the resulting responses were assessed for quality using the Ensuring Quality Information for Patients (EQIP) tool. The readability of the texts was analyzed using the Flesch-Kincaid grade level and the Flesch-Kincaid reading ease parameters. The mean EQIP score of the texts was determined to be 43.02±6.37, the Flesch-Kincaid reading ease score to be 26.24±13.81, and the Flesch-Kincaid grade level was determined to be 14.84±1.79. The analysis revealed significant concerns regarding the quality of texts generated by ChatGPT, indicating serious problems with readability and comprehension. The mean EQIP score was low, suggesting a need for improvement in the accuracy and reliability of the information provided. The Flesch-Kincaid grade level indicated a high linguistic complexity, requiring a level of education equivalent to approximately 14 to 15years of formal education for comprehension. The results of this study show heightened complexity in ChatGPT-generated SCI texts, surpassing optimal health communication readability. ChatGPT currently cannot substitute comprehensive medical consultations. Enhancing text quality could be attainable through dependence on credible sources, the establishment of a scientific board, and collaboration with expert teams. Addressing these concerns could improve text accessibility, empowering patients and facilitating informed decision-making in SCI.

A Large-Scale Dataset of Search Interests Related to Disease X Originating from Different Geographic Regions

The World Health Organization (WHO) added Disease X to their shortlist of blueprint priority diseases to represent a hypothetical, unknown pathogen that could cause a future epidemic. During different virus outbreaks of the past, such as COVID-19, Influenza, Lyme Disease, and Zika virus, researchers from various disciplines utilized Google Trends to mine multimodal components of web behavior to study, investigate, and analyze the global awareness, preparedness, and response associated with these respective virus outbreaks. As the world prepares for Disease X, a dataset on web behavior related to Disease X would be crucial to contribute towards the timely advancement of research in this field. Furthermore, none of the prior works in this field have focused on the development of a dataset to compile relevant web behavior data, which would help to prepare for Disease X. To address these research challenges, this work presents a dataset of web behavior related to Disease X, which emerged from different geographic regions of the world, between February 2018 and August 2023. Specifically, this dataset presents the search interests related to Disease X from 94 geographic regions. These regions were chosen for data mining as these regions recorded significant search interests related to Disease X during this timeframe. The dataset was developed by collecting data using Google Trends. The relevant search interests for all these regions for each month in this time range are available in this dataset. This paper also discusses the compliance of this dataset with the FAIR principles of scientific data management. Finally, an analysis of this dataset is presented to uphold the applicability, relevance, and usefulness of this dataset for the investigation of different research questions in the interrelated fields of Big Data, Data Mining, Healthcare, Epidemiology, and Data Analysis with a specific focus on Disease X.

(515) A Call to Contraception: Overturn of ROE v. WADE Catalyzes Rise in U.S. Vasectomy Consultations

Abstract Introduction On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision on DOBBS v. JACKSON WOMEN'S HEALTH ORGANIZATION leaves abortion rights or restrictions to be defined at the state level. The following week several news outlets reported that urologists across the country are experiencing significant increases in clinical encounters for individuals interested in undergoing a vasectomy. Objective To explore the impact of changes to federal protection of abortion rights on the number of individuals seeking vasectomies at two high-impact academic centers and their correlation with Google Web searches. Methods A cross-sectional analysis of Google web searches from 1/1/2004-6/30/2022 was performed for the key term ‘vasectomy’ utilizing Google Trends®. One primary outcome was relative search interest in the key term ‘vasectomy’ prior and after the overturn of ROE v. WADE. We calculated the coefficients of determination for the linear search trend of this term. In parallel, cross-sectional analyses were performed utilizing databases from the electronic medical records of two high-impact university hospitals (‘Hospital-1’ and ‘Hospital-2’). in the U.S. focusing on patient encounters for vasectomy consultation coded as ‘vasectomy / vasectomy consult / vasectomy planning/ vasectomy education.’ The observation interval included 06/01/2022 - 06/30/2022. Correlation coefficients were calculated using SPSS. Results Web searches for the term ‘vasectomy’ increased 3.6 times the average number of searches for ‘vasectomy’ during the week following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on abortion, and it marked the most the term had ever been searched since Google began tracking its searches in 2004. Similarly, office visits for vasectomy consultations for Hospital-1 and Hospital-2 increased by factors of 2.4 and 6.0, respectively. Internet searches for ‘vasectomy’ and the number of clinic vasectomy consultations demonstrated correlation values of r = 0.96 and r = 0.89 for Hospital-1 and Hospital-2, respectively. Conclusions Online search interest as well as clinical encounters for vasectomy consultation have increased over the past 30 days coincidentally with - and perhaps as a consequence of - the overturn of ROE v. WADE. Our study has demonstrated marked correlation between the increase in Google searches and office visits for vasectomy consultation. This may mark a watershed moment in the adoption of vasectomy for male contraception. Disclosure No

Assessing public perception and awareness of UK mandatory calorie labeling in the out-of-home sector: Using Twitter and Google trends data.

In 2021 the UK government announced a new obesity policy requiring large out-of-home food outlets to provide mandatory in-store calorie labeling on food and drink items. Public acceptability and engagement with obesity policies could influence the level of impact on wider public health particularly with population-level policies such as calorie labeling. This study aimed to examine public responses and awareness of the policy using social media (Twitter) comments and Google trends data. This study examined responses to social media posts on Twitter (tweets) from the UK Department of Health and Social Care detailing the policy, implementation date and post-implementation information about the policy's enforcement. The sentiments of the tweets were coded and the number of likes and replies extracted. This study utilized google trends to examine public awareness of the policy by extracting weekly relative search volume for relevant phrases such as "calorie labeling." From the 276 replies/quote-tweet extracted, the majority expressed a negative sentiment toward the policy (N=197/71.4%). There were fewer tweets expressing a positive sentiment (N=25/8.7%) and a neutral/no sentiment (N=54/19.6%). There was no difference in the number of "likes" or retweets between tweets expressing positive or negative sentiments. Five themes were identified expressing negative sentiments (most common being negative impacts on eating disorders). Google trends data revealed increased searches for "calorie labels/labeling" during the week of the policy enforcement compared to previous weeks in the last 5years but no significant differences in searches for specific menu calorie labeling. This analysis revealed negative sentiment toward and increased searching of calorie labeling information during the announcement and implementation of the 2021 mandatory calorie labeling policy in England. A greater understanding of public responses to calorie labeling policies may help tailor future policies and public communication strategies.

400 Availability of Online Second Opinion Services for Spine Surgery: The Market Landscape

INTRODUCTION: Second medical opinions may provide patients with a better understanding of their medical condition and empower them to make informed decisions about their health, particularly with respect to surgical treatments. However, the market landscape surrounding “online second opinion” services for spine surgery in the United States is not well-studied. METHODS: We utilized Google Trends (i.e., search data since 2010) to ascertain the level of interest in receiving second opinions for spinal surgery. In addition, we contacted the top 30 hospitals for neurology and neurosurgery in the U.S. News rankings by phone to obtain information regarding when/how and at what cost they provide second opinions for spine surgery. RESULTS: The cost of the second surgical opinions averaged $493 (±$343) USD (range $90–$1,300); the time to receive a second opinion averaged 20 (±19) days (range 1 day–5 months). Remote or “online second opinion” programs charged an average of $643 (±$259) USD (range $100–$850), and the time to receive an “online second opinion” averaged 14 (±7) days (range 1–4 weeks). We found statistically significant increases in the relative interest for the search term “second medical opinion” over the past decade (P &lt; 0.0001, t = 21.5201). ∼97% of hospitals (29/30) provided in-person consultations for patients seeking a second opinion from a spine surgeon. However, 63% (19/30) did not have remote options (phone/video call consultations or “online second opinions”), but provided in-person consultations as the sole choice. CONCLUSIONS: Although second opinions have been shown to be beneficial to patients, ambiguous or high costs and long wait times may serve as barriers for certain groups (i.e., uninsured or underinsured) and potentially diminish the quality of care.

Google Trends and Injectable Products: The Next-Best Tool for Anticipating Patient Concerns in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Professional health care organizations including the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) historically provide guidance to medical providers in the wake of major medical news and events. Consider, for example, the ASPS guidance published in response to the December 17, 2020 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) briefing document of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee for the Moderna COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) Vaccine.[1] This information provides a framework for physicians to guide patient-physician conversations in formalized health care settings. However, it provides little insight into tangible patient concerns during the contemplation stage of decision-making prior to formalized patient consultations. We suggest utilizing Google Trends (GT) as a real-time tool to aid in identifying patient concerns.

Google Search Popularity as a Reflection of Medical Literacy and Interest in Breast Reconstruction

Objective: Reconstructive breast procedures have been on the rise over the past decades, implant-based approaches being more popular than autologous techniques. Google search engine remains one of the most utilized sources for medical knowledge about breast reconstruction among patients. This study aims to discover Google search popularity as a reflection of patient’s interest in breast reconstruction options over time. Methods: This study utilized Google Trends (GT), a powerful online tool that analyzes changes in Google search popularity over time and geographical regions. This study searched for breast reconstruction related terms across the United States from January 2007 to January 2022. Search terms included: “breast reconstruction,” “implant reconstruction,” “breast expanders,” “implant after mastectomy,” “DIEP flap,” and “TRAM flap.” Searches terms in Spanish were also included. The data were collected from the GT platform and search terms were compared using best fit linear trend lines. Results: Google search popularity for breast reconstruction has slightly decreased over time, while searches for DIEP flaps have increased. Searches for implant-based reconstruction options and related terms showed relatively low interest and no change overtime. DIEP flap searches consistently rose over time as TRAM flap searches gradually decreased in popularity over time. Significant number of searches for TRAM flap were only available in New York, Texas, and California, while DIEP flap was popular in 35 states. Conclusion: Amongst autologous breast reconstruction options, DIEP flaps are gaining popularity while TRAM flaps are decreasing in popularity across the United States. Patients are increasingly interested in autologous free flap breast reconstruction options. Corresponding Author: Neej Patel, 411 E 2nd St Apt#112 Flint, MI 48503, [email protected], 7343064487

Real-Time Monitoring of Infectious Disease Outbreaks with a Combination of Google Trends Search Results and the Moving Epidemic Method: A Respiratory Syncytial Virus Case Study

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the seasonal patterns of several infectious diseases. Understanding when and where an outbreak may occur is vital for public health planning and response. We usually rely on well-functioning surveillance systems to monitor epidemic outbreaks. However, not all countries have a well-functioning surveillance system in place, or at least not for the pathogen in question. We utilized Google Trends search results for RSV-related keywords to identify outbreaks. We evaluated the strength of the Pearson correlation coefficient between clinical surveillance data and online search data and applied the Moving Epidemic Method (MEM) to identify country-specific epidemic thresholds. Additionally, we established pseudo-RSV surveillance systems, enabling internal stakeholders to obtain insights on the speed and risk of any emerging RSV outbreaks in countries with imprecise disease surveillance systems but with Google Trends data. Strong correlations between RSV clinical surveillance data and Google Trends search results from several countries were observed. In monitoring an upcoming RSV outbreak with MEM, data collected from both systems yielded similar estimates of country-specific epidemic thresholds, starting time, and duration. We demonstrate in this study the potential of monitoring disease outbreaks in real time and complement classical disease surveillance systems by leveraging online search data.

Modeling COVID-19 incidence with Google Trends.

Infodemiologic methods could be used to enhance modeling infectious diseases. It is of interest to verify the utility of these methods using a Nigerian case study. We used Google Trends data to track COVID-19 incidences and assessed whether they could complement traditional data based solely on reported case numbers. Data on the Nigerian weekly COVID-19 cases spanning through March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021, were matched with internet search data from Google Trends. The reported weekly incidence numbers and the GT data were split into training and testing sets. ARIMA models were fitted to describe reported weekly COVID cases using the training set. Several COVID-related search terms were theoretically and empirically assessed for initial screening. The utilized Google Trends (GT) variable was added to the ARIMA model as a regressor. Model forecasts, both with and without GTD, were compared with weekly cases in the test set over 13 weeks. Forecast accuracies were compared visually and using RMSE (root mean square error) and MAE (mean average error). Statistical significance of the difference in predictions was determined with the two-sided Diebold-Mariano test. Preliminary results of contemporaneous correlations between COVID-related search terms and weekly COVID cases reveal “loss of smell,” “loss of taste,” “fever” (in order of magnitude) as significantly associated with the official cases. Predictions of the ARIMA model using solely reported case numbers resulted in an RMSE (root mean squared error) of 411.4 and mean absolute error (MAE) of 354.9. The GT expanded model achieved better forecasting accuracy (RMSE: 388.7 and MAE = 340.1). Corrected Akaike Information Criteria also favored the GT expanded model (869.4 vs. 872.2). The difference in predictive performances was significant when using a two-sided Diebold-Mariano test (DM = 6.75, p < 0.001) for the 13 weeks. Google trends data enhanced the predictive ability of a traditionally based model and should be considered a suitable method to enhance infectious disease modeling.

Utilizing Google trends to monitor coronavirus vaccine interest and hesitancies

IntroductionVaccine hesitancy remains a serious challenge for ending the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Digital media has played an immense role in the spread of information during the pandemic. One method to gauge public interest in COVID-19 related information is to examine patterns of online search queries. MethodsGoogle Trends (GT) was used to analyze results for search terms relating to COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, information, and accessibility from October 1st, 2020 to May 27th, 2021. GT allows you to compare multiple queries at one time. The resultant relative search volumes (RSVs)range from 0 to 100. The search term andpoint in time on the graph that has the greatest search volume is given a score of 100 and all other terms and times are given values relative to that maximum. Search interest peaks were analyzed by subgroups (misinformation, information seeking, and access seeking) and across key time points throughout the pandemic. ResultsGT analysis revealed that search interest related to vaccine misinformation, general information, and access seeking changed in relation to events taking place throughout the pandemic. The most commonly searched terms in each subgroup were: “Covid vaccine infertility”, “Covid vaccine side effects”, and “Covid vaccine appointment”. Searches related to misinformation peaked in December 2020. Search terms in the general information category peaked in April 2021. RSVs for access seeking terms peaked in March 2021 and have decreased since April 2021. ConclusionMisinformation RSVs were highest after FDA authorization and have multiple repeated spikes after subsequent vaccine announcements. General information seeking terms peaked concurrently with increased vaccination uptake in the United States. Search interest has decreased with wider vaccine availability, despite many individuals in the United States remaining unvaccinated. GT can be used to monitor trends in public attitudes and misinformation regarding COVID-19 vaccines and further target education.

Spatial epidemiological analysis of Lyme disease in southern Ontario utilizing Google Trends searches

Lyme disease is of growing concern in Ontario with endemic areas increasing in size. Differential diagnosis of Lyme disease patients should include their exposure status assuming knowledge of high-risk areas. The goal of this study was a spatial analysis of Lyme disease in southern Ontario for the years 2015–2019 with a focus on the association between Lyme disease prevalence and Internet search frequencies recorded by Google Trends. A choropleth map visualized the raw prevalence of Lyme disease across the 28 public health units of southern Ontario. A disease cluster comprising five public health units was identified in eastern Ontario using the flexible scan statistic (standard morbidity ratio = 4.9, p = 0.01). Poisson regression modeling revealed an association between Lyme disease prevalence and the search term “Lyme disease” in Google Trends (p = 0.032). Lyme disease prevalence was correlated with Google Trend searches, with an increase in relative risk by a factor of 1.19 (CI95%: 1.03, 1.39) for every 1% increase in search activity. Knowledge of the existence and location of high-risk or exposure areas for Lyme disease is important to properly diagnose patients. Exploiting the association between Lyme disease and Internet search activity by the population at risk can also further disease surveillance.