The Boseman Effect: A Missed Opportunity?

Abstract

Introduction Public figures, namely celebrities, are highly influential people whose actions and thoughts are often emulated, especially regarding healthcare. Understanding trends in public interest may provide an opportunity for further patient education. Given the changes of the COVID-19 pandemic along with the highly publicized death of actor Chadwick Boseman, who died from complications of colon cancer, we analyzed trends in colon cancer searches over a 15-month period. Methods Google Trends (Google, Mountain View, California) was used to access search histories in the United States from January 1, 2020, through April 30, 2021. Four search terms were analyzed: “colon cancer”, “colonoscopy”, “Cologuard”, and “virtual colonoscopy”. Google Trends reports data as relative search volume (RSV), a scaled number from 0-100 reflecting interest in a particular search term over a set time. Search terms were analyzed on the same RSV scale with one-way ANOVAs comparing search volumes during four eight-week blocks. Results Google Trends data was reported weekly. Search volume for colon cancer was higher (17.3, p=0.00) over the eight weeks following Boseman’s death, while search volume for colonoscopy returned to normal (21.5, p=0.95) when compared to pre-pandemic levels. Conclusion The peak in colon cancer searches in late August of 2020 corresponds to the death of Chadwick Boseman on 8/28/2020. Colonoscopy interest decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic before returning to previous levels around the time of Boseman’s death without experiencing the same spike in interest. This discrepancy represents a missed opportunity for patient education on this preventable disease.

The Characteristics, Uses, and Biases of Studies Related to Malignancies Using Google Trends: Systematic Review

“…Several studies have analyzed the association between GT statistics and awareness month; for example, Pink October represents the breast cancer awareness month [ 36 ], and March is an awareness month for colorectal cancer in the United States [ 38 ]. Announcements of the death of celebrities owing to cancer may increase the number of Google queries on cancer, which was reported after the death of Chadwick Boseman owing to colorectal cancer ( Table 1 ) [ 24 , 37 ]. In recent years, many researchers have analyzed the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the interest of Google users with many malignancies.…”

“…Some researchers have discovered an association between Google searches for specific cancers and their incidence [ 23 ]. GT has also been used to gauge the effects of celebrity deaths owing to cancer on the public’s interest in that specific malignancy [ 24 , 25 ]. Other notable examples of such trends include the interest in melanoma in relation to its prevalence in the population [ 26 ] and the awareness of the importance of colonoscopy in particular countries [ 27 ].…”

Análise das Campanhas de Conscientização sobre o Câncer por meio do Google Trends: Revisão Integrativa da Literatura

“…Desse modo, diversos eventos concorrentes, entre eles crises políticas, econômicas ou sanitárias, podem ocupar a atenção da população e diminuir a repercussão das campanhas de conscientização do câncer. Entretanto, tais eventos podem deixar de representar uma ameaça, servindo como uma oportunidade para as campanhas ampliarem seu alcance e seu impacto 44 . Para isso, é fundamental repensar as estratégias comunicacionais, estando atento a esses eventos e buscando compreender como eles afetam as percepções e atitudes das pessoas em relação ao câncer.…”