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Wecker H, Maier D, Ziehfreund S, Fox FAU, Erhard I, Vehreschild JJ, Zink A. Cancer incidence and digital information seeking in Germany: a retrospective observational study. Sci Rep 2024; 14:10184. [PMID: 38702333 PMCID: PMC11068859 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60267-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024] Open
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 (rS) examined associations between cancer incidence and web search, repeated measures correlation (rrm) assessed time trends and searches were qualitatively categorized. The frequency of malignancy-related web searches correlated with cancer incidence (rS = 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 ≤ rrm ≤ 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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Wecker
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Daniel Maier
- Medical Department 2 (Hematology/Oncology and Infectious Diseases), Center for Internal Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stefanie Ziehfreund
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Fabienne A U Fox
- Medical Department 2 (Hematology/Oncology and Infectious Diseases), Center for Internal Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Ian Erhard
- Medical Department 2 (Hematology/Oncology and Infectious Diseases), Center for Internal Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Frankfurt/Mainz and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jörg Janne Vehreschild
- Medical Department 2 (Hematology/Oncology and Infectious Diseases), Center for Internal Medicine, Goethe University Frankfurt, University Hospital, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
- Department I for Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
- German Centre for Infection Research (DZIF), Partner Site Bonn-Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Alexander Zink
- Department of Dermatology and Allergy, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Technical University of Munich, Munich, Germany.
- Division of Dermatology and Venereology, Department of Medicine Solna, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Deiner MS, Kaur G, McLeod SD, Schallhorn JM, Chodosh J, Hwang DH, Lietman TM, Porco TC. A Google Trends Approach to Identify Distinct Diurnal and Day-of-Week Web-Based Search Patterns Related to Conjunctivitis and Other Common Eye Conditions: Infodemiology Study. J Med Internet Res 2022; 24:e27310. [PMID: 35537041 PMCID: PMC9297131 DOI: 10.2196/27310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Studies suggest diurnal patterns of occurrence of some eye conditions. Leveraging new information sources such as web-based search data to learn more about such patterns could improve the understanding of patients’ eye-related conditions and well-being, better inform timing of clinical and remote eye care, and improve precision when targeting web-based public health campaigns toward underserved populations. Objective To investigate our hypothesis that the public is likely to consistently search about different ophthalmologic conditions at different hours of the day or days of week, we conducted an observational study using search data for terms related to ophthalmologic conditions such as conjunctivitis. We assessed whether search volumes reflected diurnal or day-of-week patterns and if those patterns were distinct from each other. Methods We designed a study to analyze and compare hourly search data for eye-related and control search terms, using time series regression models with trend and periodicity terms to remove outliers and then estimate diurnal effects. We planned a Google Trends setting, extracting data from 10 US states for the entire year of 2018. The exposure was internet search, and the participants were populations who searched through Google’s search engine using our chosen study terms. Our main outcome measures included cyclical hourly and day-of-week web-based search patterns. For statistical analyses, we considered P<.001 to be statistically significant. Results Distinct diurnal (P<.001 for all search terms) and day-of-week search patterns for eye-related terms were observed but with differing peak time periods and cyclic strengths. Some diurnal patterns represented those reported from prior clinical studies. Of the eye-related terms, “pink eye” showed the largest diurnal amplitude-to-mean ratios. Stronger signal was restricted to and peaked in mornings, and amplitude was higher on weekdays. By contrast, “dry eyes” had a higher amplitude diurnal pattern on weekends, with stronger signal occurring over a broader evening-to-morning period and peaking in early morning. Conclusions The frequency of web-based searches for various eye conditions can show cyclic patterns according to time of the day or week. Further studies to understand the reasons for these variations may help supplement the current clinical understanding of ophthalmologic symptom presentation and improve the timeliness of patient messaging and care interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Deiner
- Francis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Gurbani Kaur
- Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Stephen D McLeod
- Francis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Julie M Schallhorn
- Francis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - James Chodosh
- Department of Ophthalmology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States.,Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Daniel H Hwang
- Stanford University, San Mateo, CA, United States.,The Nueva School, San Mateo, CA, United States
| | - Thomas M Lietman
- Francis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Global Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
| | - Travis C Porco
- Francis I Proctor Foundation, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Ophthalmology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States.,Global Health Sciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, United States
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Adams QH, Sun Y, Sun S, Wellenius GA. Internet searches and heat-related emergency department visits in the United States. Sci Rep 2022; 12:9031. [PMID: 35641815 PMCID: PMC9156736 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-13168-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Emerging research suggests that internet search patterns may provide timely, actionable insights into adverse health impacts from, and behavioral responses to, days of extreme heat, but few studies have evaluated this hypothesis, and none have done so across the United States. We used two-stage distributed lag nonlinear models to quantify the interrelationships between daily maximum ambient temperature, internet search activity as measured by Google Trends, and heat-related emergency department (ED) visits among adults with commercial health insurance in 30 US metropolitan areas during the warm seasons (May to September) from 2016 to 2019. Maximum daily temperature was positively associated with internet searches relevant to heat, and searches were in turn positively associated with heat-related ED visits. Moreover, models combining internet search activity and temperature had better predictive ability for heat-related ED visits compared to models with temperature alone. These results suggest that internet search patterns may be useful as a leading indicator of heat-related illness or stress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinn H Adams
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Yuantong Sun
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Shengzhi Sun
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
- Optum Labs Visiting Scholar, Eden Prairie, MN, USA
| | - Gregory A Wellenius
- Department of Environmental Health, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
- Optum Labs Visiting Scholar, Eden Prairie, MN, USA.
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