Global Online Interest in HIV/AIDS care Services in the time of COVID-19: A Google Trends Analysis

Ornos, Eric David B.; Tantengco, Ourlad Alzeus G.; Abad, Cybele Lara

doi:10.1007/s10461-022-03933-w

Cited by 7 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 39 publications

(37 reference statements)

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“…The infoveillance approach used was Google Trends database, whereas the SCOPUS database was used for the bibliometric analysis. These two databases have been extensively used in the literature [10][11][12][13][14][15].…”

Section: Databasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Asides Google Trends search database, there are other online search databases that can be used for infoveillance studies; however, Google Trends is the most preferred database because it is the oldest one and it has broader global coverage, usage and comprehensiveness compared to other databases [10,11]. Additionally, the analysis of infoveillance data obtained from Google Trends provides insightful information on public interests; it also explores the epidemiological features and dynamic variations in infectious diseases such as COVID-19 [10,14,15]. Hence, the above justifies the use of Google Trends for this study.…”

Section: Databasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Infoveillance and bibliometric analysis of COVID‐19 in Nigeria

Amzat

Kanmodi

Egbedina

2023

Public Health Challenges

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Background: Infectious diseases often come with enormous fear because of their ability to spark and spread. The same for COVID-19, which WHO declared a pandemic in February 2020 after a record spread in multiple countries. The global world of information and social media plays a major role in the pandemic. Hence, this study aims to analyse the patterns of internet search and research interests on COVID-19 in Nigeria. Methods: This is an infoveillance and bibliometric research about COVID-19 in Nigeria using systemic search through Google Trends to obtain COVID-19 information prevalence and research incidence through bibliometric analysis using SCOPUS database. The data obtained were analysed using the Microsoft Excel 2021 software. Descriptive statistics (frequencies, mean, range and mode) were used for the summarisation of the data. The findings were presented using texts, tables, charts and maps. Results:The information search spike started 1 week before the first index case. Search volume index inequalities were observed across the country, with the northern Nigeria having a higher search volume for COVID-19. This study also uncovered several top search terms, including "COVID-19," "COVID loan" and "vaccine," and queries, including "COVID-19 Nigeria," "COVID loan" and "COVID-19 in Nigeria," among others, which showed critical infodemiologic concerns in Nigeria. The interests of Nigerian researchers concerning COVID-19 cut across various disciplines. The top three subject areas with the most significant volume of these publications were Medicine, Social Sciences and Biochemistry. This study found extensive research collaboration with over 150 countries coupled with external funding. Conclusion:As internet search spikes reflect population health concerns and information-wish, understanding the infodemic patterns and search terms will influence mass media regulators and health authorities to be vigilant and tackle the spread of misinformation. Nigeria's research resilience depicts great potential, hence, a call for improved local funding for research and development.

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Section: Databasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Databasesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infoveillance and bibliometric analysis of COVID‐19 in Nigeria

Amzat

Kanmodi

Egbedina

2023

Public Health Challenges

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“…In this study, interest in HIV self-testing has remained relatively high during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though web-based search interest only indicates clinical information-seeking behavior, recent infodemiology studies, including that by Ornos et al [15], showed that search volume indices correlated positively with HIV prevalence and negatively with financial and health care service status. Another recent study in Japan by Ishimaru et al [30] also observed a positive correlation between internet search frequency for HIV/AIDS-related terms and the number of voluntary tests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, infodemiology studies found that web-based search trends for symptoms associated with COVID-19 coincided with the disease outbreak [14]. Conversly, the global web-based interest in information on HIV/AIDS care services decreased [15]. However, the search engine trend for HIV/AIDS testing during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been explored extensively in the Japanese population.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Web-Based Search Volume for HIV Tests and HIV-Testing Preferences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Infodemiology Study

Kanamori,

Umemura,

Uemura

et al. 2024

JMIR Form Res

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Background Research has found a COVID-19 pandemic–related impact on HIV medical services, including clinic visits, testing, and antiviral therapy initiation in countries including Japan. However, the change in trend for HIV/AIDS testing during the COVID-19 pandemic has not been explored extensively in the Japanese population. Objective This infodemiology study examines the web-based search interest for two types of HIV tests, self-test kits and facility-based tests, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan. Methods The monthly search volume of queried search terms was obtained from Yahoo! JAPAN. Search volumes for the following terms were collected from November 2017 to October 2018: “HIV test,” “HIV test kit,” and “HIV test health center.” The search term “Corona PCR” and the number of new COVID-19 cases by month were used as a control for the search trends. The number of new HIV cases in the corresponding study period was obtained from the AIDS Trend Committee Quarterly Report from the AIDS Prevention Foundation. Results Compared to the search volume of “corona-PCR,” which roughly fluctuated corresponding to the number of new COVID-19 cases in Japan, the search volume of “HIV test” was relatively stable from 2019 to 2022. When we further stratified by the type of HIV test, the respective web-based search interest in HIV self-testing and facility-based testing showed distinct patterns from 2018 to 2022. While the search volume of “HIV test kit” remained stable, that of “HIV test health center” displayed a decreasing trend starting in 2018 and has remained low since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Around 66%-71% of the search volume of “HIV test kits” was attributable to searches made by male internet users from 2018 to 2022, and the top three contributing age groups were those aged 30-39 (27%-32%), 20-29 (19%-32%), and 40-49 (19%-25%) years. On the other hand, the search volume of “HIV test health centers” by male users decreased from more than 500 from 2018 to 2019 to fewer than 300 from 2020 to 2022. Conclusions Our study found a notable decrease in the search volume of “HIV test health center” during the pandemic, while the search volume for HIV self-testing kits remained stable before and during the COVID-19 crisis in Japan. This suggests that the previously reported COVID-19–related decrease in the number of HIV tests mostly likely referred to facility-based testing. This sheds light on the change in HIV-testing preferences in Japan, calling for a more comprehensive application and regulatory acceptance of HIV self-instructed tests.

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“…The authors reported a significant positive correlation between Google Trends search data and confirmed, suspected and probable cases. Ornos et al [41] showed that HIV search volume was positively correlated with the disease prevalence and negatively correlated with GDP and the number of doctors. This result demonstrated the need to improve the quality of HIV-related health information to improve health-seeking behaviors in countries with higher HIV infection rates.…”

Section: Applications Of Infodemi-ology In Diseases 41 Infectious Dis...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Infodemiology as a Powerful Tool in Public Health: Bridging the Digital Divide for Better Well-being

Zhao,

Musonye,

Wang

et al. 2024

Innov Discov

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Infodemiology, an emerging interdisciplinary field situated at the confluence of information science and epidemiology, has experienced significant growth in recent times. Playing a crucial role in epidemiological surveillance, infodemiology provides a supplementary perspective to conventional data sources. By monitoring variations in search volume over time, infodemiology researchers can discern shifts in public attention, emotions, or awareness pertaining to diverse health issues. This enables the timely detection of potential epidemics, emerging health concerns, or alterations in public consciousness, facilitating a more proactive approach to public health responses. Several tools, particularly Google Trends, are integral to the functioning of Infodemiology. Leveraging internet search intent, Google Trends can map population-wide public interest, utilizing extensive data sets across temporal and spatial dimensions to infer trends in disease prevalence. This paper presents a review of the diverse applications of Infodemiology in modern public health disease surveillance, highlighting the utility of Google Trends as a powerful tool within the Infodemiology framework. Advantages and limitations of Infodemiology are also examined. Through this review, we aim to elucidate the transformative potential of Infodemiology in bridging the digital divide for improved well-being.

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Global Online Interest in HIV/AIDS care Services in the time of COVID-19: A Google Trends Analysis

Cited by 7 publications

References 39 publications

Infoveillance and bibliometric analysis of COVID‐19 in Nigeria

Infoveillance and bibliometric analysis of COVID‐19 in Nigeria

Web-Based Search Volume for HIV Tests and HIV-Testing Preferences During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Japan: Infodemiology Study

Infodemiology as a Powerful Tool in Public Health: Bridging the Digital Divide for Better Well-being

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