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 The World Health Organization (WHO) established a global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer in 2020; fortunately, it can be effectively controlled or prevented by the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Nevertheless, Japan has been experiencing an HPV vaccine crisis since 2013, with a vaccination rate of less than 1% lasting for seven years. We examined trend changes related to cervical cancer topics and assessed the feasibility and limitations of Google Trends as an indicator of public health surveillance. Methods We collected search query data from Google Trends and the annual number of cervical cancer cases from the National Cancer Center, Japan. We then conducted a chronological and geographical analysis of the public interest in the phrases “cervical cancer,” “HPV vaccine,” and “cervical screening” from 2004—2021. We calculated correlations between the annual number of cervical cancer cases and the search terms. We also detected change points in public search interest. Finally, we analyzed subregional-level search interest disparities. Results Japanese public search interest in “cervical cancer,” “HPV vaccine,” and “cervical screening” increased from 2010—2013. Subsequently, interest in “cervical cancer” and “cervical screening” remained stable and relatively high, while interest in “HPV vaccine” was suddenly minimal. The actual number of cervical cancer cases showed a strong correlation with search volumes for “cervical screening” (r = 0.953, p < .001) and “cervical cancer” (r = 0.898, p < .001), respectively. In 2020, the public reignited its interest in “HPV vaccine.” We detected six change points in these three topics around 2010, 2013, and 2020, which aligned with critical policy decisions. Prefectures’ public interest levels were different for these three topics. Conclusions The Japanese public retained low interest in “HPV vaccine” from 2013—2020, while interest in “cervical cancer” and “cervical screening” terms was relatively high. Encouragingly, the public reignited its interest in “HPV vaccine” in 2020, which is expected to promote vaccination. Google Trends can extend unique perspectives for authorities to understand public concerns nearly synchronously, but it has a limited interpretation in subregions.
ObjectivesWe aimed to predict the number of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) infections before and during the COVID-19 pandemic using Internet search data.MethodsWe obtained actual HFMD cases from the National Institute of Infectious Disease and Internet search data using Google Trends between 2004 and 2021 in Japan. We calculated the Pearson correlation coefficients between actual HFMD cases and the search topic “HFMD” from 2004 to 2021. We conducted a cross-correlation analysis between the actual HFMD cases and 43 HFMD-related search terms before and during the pandemic. We identified the most significant predictors of HFMD infection using stepwise multiple linear regression.ResultsWe found that actual HFMD cases and Internet search volume peaked around July in most years, except for 2020 and 2021. The search topic “HFMD” presented a strong correlation with actual HFMD cases, but the correlation was weaker in 2004, 2008, and 2020. Results from stepwise multiple linear regression exhibited that the search terms “infect,” “daycare,” “vomit,” “HFMD,” “eczema,” “pain,” and “high fever” were the most significant predictors before the pandemic, while “infect,” “enterovirus,” “herpangina,” “kindergarten,” “myocarditis,” “HFMD,” “contact infection,” “blister,” “high fever” “dermatology,” and “plantar” were the most significant predictors during the pandemic.ConclusionsThe predictors for HFMD infections before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were different. The awareness of HFMD infection in Japan may improved during the COVID-19 pandemic. Continuous monitoring is important to promote public health and prevent resurgence. Public interest reflected in information-seeking behavior can be helpful for public health surveillance.
Background The World Health Organization (WHO) established a global strategy to accelerate the elimination of cervical cancer in 2020; fortunately, it can be effectively controlled or prevented by the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Nevertheless, Japan has been experiencing an HPV vaccine crisis since 2013, with a vaccination rate of less than 1% lasting for seven years. We examined trend changes related to cervical cancer topics and assessed the feasibility and limitations of Google Trends as an indicator of public health surveillance. Methods We collected search query data from Google Trends and the annual number of cervical cancer cases from the National Cancer Center, Japan. We then conducted a chronological and geographical analysis of the public interest in the phrases “cervical cancer,” “HPV vaccine,” and “cervical screening” from 2004—2021. We calculated correlations between the annual number of cervical cancer cases and the search terms. We also detected change points in public search interest. Finally, we analyzed subregional-level search interest disparities. Results Japanese public search interest in “cervical cancer,” “HPV vaccine,” and “cervical screening” increased from 2010—2013. Subsequently, interest in “cervical cancer” and “cervical screening” remained stable and relatively high, while interest in “HPV vaccine” was suddenly minimal. The actual number of cervical cancer cases showed a strong correlation with search volumes for “cervical screening” (r = 0.953, p < .001) and “cervical cancer” (r = 0.898, p < .001), respectively. In 2020, the public reignited its interest in “HPV vaccine.” We detected six change points in these three topics around 2010, 2013, and 2020, which aligned with critical policy decisions. Prefectures’ public interest levels were different for these three topics. Conclusions The Japanese public retained low interest in “HPV vaccine” from 2013—2020, while interest in “cervical cancer” and “cervical screening” terms was relatively high. Encouragingly, the public reignited its interest in “HPV vaccine” in 2020, which is expected to promote vaccination. Google Trends can extend unique perspectives for authorities to understand public concerns nearly synchronously, but it has a limited interpretation in subregions.
ObjectivesIn recent years, the employment statuses of the elderly have become more diverse, and it is important to investigate the differences in health status according to employment statuses. This study aimed to examine the differences in physical activity and mental function among elderly Japanese according to their employment status and to examine the differences between men and women.MethodsThis cross‐sectional study used an online questionnaire. The participants were persons aged ≥60 years. Data on their sociodemographic indicators, employment status, physical activity, and mental function were collected. They were classified into six groups according to their employment status: being employed, completely retired, re‐hired at the same workplace, re‐hired at a different workplace, early retirement, and working at a job without a mandatory retirement age. Differences in the surveyed items according to employment status were compared using the Kruskal‐Wallis test.ResultsThe total number of participants in the analysis with complete responses was 1552 (1207 men and 345 women; mean age 67.8 ± 5.9 years). The results revealed that among men, those who were re‐hired at different workplaces had higher walking physical activity, and retirees and early retirees had longer sedentary time and lower sense of self‐usefulness. There was no clear difference among women according to their employment status.ConclusionsThe results suggest that physical activity and mental function among older adults may differ according to their employment status, especially for men. Employment among the elderly may play an important role in maintaining their physical activity and mental function.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.