Effect of environmental factors on Internet searches related to sinusitis

Willson, Thomas D.; Lospinoso, Joshua; Weitzel, Erik K; McMains, Kevin C.

doi:10.1002/lary.25420

Cited by 10 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…In contrast, peaks and troughs evident in search trends for SRI, ILI, asthma, and allergic rhinitis are thought to reflect the seasonality of flares. 4,6,8,14 Interestingly, "productivity" was not associated with a statistically significant positive correlation with "sinusitis" search volumes. However, many patients with sinusitis, especially chronic, report loss of productivity through the standard SNOT-22 questionnaire.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

“…The authors postulated that since viral-related illnesses or upper respiratory infections cause similar symptoms, they contribute to substantial increases in searches related to sinusitis. 8 The significant correlations are not unexpected, suggesting that the individuals who are generating these search volumes are pursuing the possible etiologies of their symptoms. Over time, the symptoms charted in Figure 1 consolidated into 1 trend with comparable search volumes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Their study was limited to 2 years in a single geographical region in the United States. 8 Considering sinusitis affects a large proportion of the U.S. population with 28.9 million afflicted adults in 2018, a big data platform such as Google Trends might have significant utility in predicting the epidemiology of sinusitis. 9 In this study, we investigated trends in online search activity for sinusitis-related illness (SRI) in the United States from 2004 to 2017.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Correlations in Trends of Sinusitis-Related Online Google Search Queries in the United States

Sharma

Sandelski

Ting

et al. 2020

Am J Rhinol�Allergy

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Background Online search query trends have been shown to correlate with real-life epidemiologic phenomena. Objective The aim of this study was to analyze correlations in trends in Google online search volumes of sinusitis-related terms, including symptomatology and similar disease states. Methods Terms clinically associated with “sinusitis” were determined by consensus. Terms of symptomatology were derived from the validated 22-item sinonasal outcome test (SNOT-22) as well as terminology encountered with the authors’ clinical experience. Terms of disease states that could overlap in symptomatology with sinusitis were then chosen. Google Trends, an online tool for extracting relative frequencies from a public database of search queries, was used to query normalized monthly volumes in the United States from January 2004 to September 2017 of searches related to the topics decided upon by consensus. Bivariate Pearson correlation was used to compare the search queries. Results Online search volumes of “sinusitis” have a distinct seasonal variation, with consistent annual peaks and troughs. In terms of symptomatology, “postnasal drip,” “nasal congestion,” “cough,” “rhinorrhea,” and “sore throat” most highly correlated with “sinusitis” search volumes with statistical significance. “sinusitis” search query volume had a higher positive correlation with “common cold” and “acute sinusitis” than “chronic sinusitis” with regard to disease states. Conclusions Trends in Google online search volumes over time of “sinusitis” symptomatology mimic real-world clinical phenomena and provide insight into the issues affecting the general population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 85%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Correlations in Trends of Sinusitis-Related Online Google Search Queries in the United States

Sharma

Sandelski

Ting

et al. 2020

Am J Rhinol�Allergy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…An ARIMAX model is used to check and predict the dependence of values in a time series with equal periods using the past values observed in the series. 45 Statistical significance was set at 0.05. The software used for analysis was SPSS V.20.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Zika pandemic online trends, incidence and health risk communication: a time trend study

et al. 2017

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ObjectivesWe aimed to describe the online search trends of Zika and examine their association with Zika incidence, assess the content of Zika-related press releases issued by leading health authorities and examine the association between online trends and press release timing.DesignUsing Google Trends, the 1 May 2015 to 30 May 2016 online trends of Zika and associated search terms were studied globally and in the five countries with the highest numbers of suspected cases. Correlations were then examined between online trends and Zika incidence in these countries. All Zika-related press releases issued by WHO/Pan America Health Organization (PAHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) during the study period were assessed for transparency, uncertainty and audience segmentation. Witte's Extended Parallel Process Model was applied to assess self-efficacy, response efficacy, susceptibility and severity. AutoRegressive Integrated Moving Average with an eXogenous predictor variable (ARIMAX) (p,d,q) regression modelling was used to quantify the association between online trends and the timing of press releases.ResultsGlobally, Zika online search trends were low until the beginning of 2016, when interest rose steeply. Strong correlations (r=0.748–0.922; p<0.001) were observed between online trends and the number of suspected Zika cases in four of the five countries studied. Compared with press releases issued by WHO/PAHO, CDC press releases were significantly more likely to provide contact details and links to other resources, include figures/graphs, be risk-advisory in nature and be more readable and briefer. ARIMAX modelling results indicate that online trends preceded by 1 week press releases by WHO (stationary-R2=0.345; p<0.001) and CDC (stationary-R2=0.318; p=0.014).ConclusionsThese results suggest that online trends can aid in pandemic surveillance. Identification of shortcomings in the content and timing of Zika press releases can help guide health communication efforts in the current pandemic and future public health emergencies.

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A Social Media Quality Review of Popular Sinusitis Videos on TikTok

Dimitroyannis,

Fenton,

Cho

et al. 2024

Otolaryngol.--head neck surg.

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ObjectiveSocial media may inform health care decisions among younger patient populations. TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to post short‐form videos. This study aimed to assess the quality of sinusitis‐related videos on TikTok.Study DesignWe searched TikTok on January 29, 2023, for sinusitis‐related hashtags: #sinusitis, #sinus, #sinusinfection.SettingInternet.MethodsThe number of views/shares per day, uploader type (nonmedical influencer, lay individual, and medical professional) content categories (medical advice, marketing, comedy, and lifestyle/acceptability), and content type (educational vs factual) were collected. The Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Audiovisual Material and Journal of the American Medical Association criteria score was used to measure understandability, actionability, and reliability. The Global Quality Scale (GQS) was used to evaluate the quality of videos; the harm/benefit score was used to evaluate causative effects. Analyses were performed using analysis of variance (α = .05).ResultsThere were 221 videos identified, which garnered over 300 million views and 1 million shares. Almost half of the videos were published by nonmedical influencers. When controlling for covariates, nonmedical influencers and lay uploaders were more likely to have harmful harm/benefit scores, less understandable videos, and lower GQS scores compared to medical professionals. Less than half of videos posted by nonmedical influencers categorized as educational were factual (46.7%); lay individuals and medical professionals had higher rates of factual educational content (79.9% and 83.7%, respectively).ConclusionMost nonmedical influencer‐posted TikTok videos about sinusitis are inaccurate, despite being portrayed as medical advice/educational. Rhinologists must find modern ways to disseminate true disease‐related content via social media to combat medical misinformation.

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Effect of environmental factors on Internet searches related to sinusitis

Abstract: NA.

Cited by 10 publications

References 29 publications

Correlations in Trends of Sinusitis-Related Online Google Search Queries in the United States

Correlations in Trends of Sinusitis-Related Online Google Search Queries in the United States

Zika pandemic online trends, incidence and health risk communication: a time trend study

A Social Media Quality Review of Popular Sinusitis Videos on TikTok

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