Harnessing Google Health Trends Data for Epidemiologic Research

Neumann, Krista; Mason, Susan M.; Farkas, Kriszta; Santaularia, N. Jeanie; Ahern, Jennifer; Riddell, Chris

doi:10.1093/aje/kwac171

Cited by 10 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…This approach provided robust estimates of search trends associated with emerging xylazine misuse over the study period, mitigating the influence of idiosyncratic single-date extractions. Further details on the GHT-API methodology have been described previously [19,20].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends and Adverse Outcomes of Xylazine Misuse: A Digital Surveillance Study

Bhagavathula,

Aldhaleei,

Kim

2024

Preprint

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Background: Xylazine is an animal tranquilizer without approved medical use in humans that is increasingly being misused as an adulterant in illicit drugs. This study aimed to characterize national trends and adverse outcomes associated with the emerging misuse of xylazine using digital surveillance data. Methods: We examined online search trends and social media discussions related to xylazine misuse in the U.S. from 2019 to 2023 using Google Searches data and conducted Joinpoint regression to assess trends. We also examined social media attention using Almetric attention score and analyzed reports on xylazine in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) through September 2023 using logistic regression. Results: Our analysis revealed an overall increasing trend in online searches for XYLAZINE nationally, with an average monthly percentage change of 4.6% (95% CI: 3.9 to 5.1, P trend <0.001), indicating growing awareness. On social media, mentions of xylazine rose exponentially starting in late 2021. Analysis of the FAERS data identified 94 reports of adverse events related to xylazine, most of which involved men (70.2%), with a mean age of 36.5 (SD: 14.3) years. Alarmingly, these xylazine-linked adverse events had an 87.2% fatality rate, which increased over 40-fold with concurrent fentanyl use (reported OR: 40.5, 95% CI: 4.0 to 407.4, P = 0.002). Conclusions: These findings underscore the urgent need for greater public health awareness, harm reduction strategies, and enhanced surveillance targeting the worsening xylazine addiction and overdose crisis.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends and Adverse Outcomes of Xylazine Misuse: A Digital Surveillance Study

Bhagavathula,

Aldhaleei,

Kim

2024

Preprint

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“…To begin our search, we implemented a methodological framework based upon previous strategies aimed to establish a consistent approach to conducting Google Trends research [ 31 , 32 ] and adhered to a suggested checklist for documenting and reporting our search strategy [ 26 ]. We report keywords in italics and the classification of the keyword in parentheses.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emerging Trends in Information-Seeking Behavior for Alpha-Gal Syndrome: Infodemiology Study Using Time Series and Content Analysis

Romeiser,

Jusko,

Williams

2024

J Med Internet Res

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Background Alpha-gal syndrome is an emerging allergy characterized by an immune reaction to the carbohydrate molecule alpha-gal found in red meat. This unique food allergy is likely triggered by a tick bite. Cases of the allergy are on the rise, but prevalence estimates do not currently exist. Furthermore, varying symptoms and limited awareness of the allergy among health care providers contribute to delayed diagnosis, leading individuals to seek out their own information and potentially self-diagnose. Objective The study aimed to (1) describe the volume and patterns of information-seeking related to alpha-gal, (2) explore correlations between alpha-gal and lone star ticks, and (3) identify specific areas of interest that individuals are searching for in relation to alpha-gal. Methods Google Trends Supercharged-Glimpse, a new extension of Google Trends, provides estimates of the absolute volume of searches and related search queries. This extension was used to assess trends in searches for alpha-gal and lone star ticks (lone star tick, alpha gal, and meat allergy, as well as food allergy for comparison) in the United States. Time series analyses were used to examine search volume trends over time, and Spearman correlation matrices and choropleth maps were used to explore geographic and temporal correlations between alpha-gal and lone star tick searches. Content analysis was performed on related search queries to identify themes and subcategories that are of interest to information seekers. Results Time series analysis revealed a rapidly increasing trend in search volumes for alpha-gal beginning in 2015. After adjusting for long-term trends, seasonal trends, and media coverage, from 2015 to 2022, the predicted adjusted average annual percent change in search volume for alpha-gal was 33.78%. The estimated overall change in average search volume was 627%. In comparison, the average annual percent change was 9.23% for lone star tick, 7.34% for meat allergy, and 2.45% for food allergy during this time. Geographic analysis showed strong significant correlations between alpha-gal and lone star tick searches especially in recent years (ρ=0.80; P<.001), with primary overlap and highest search rates found in the southeastern region of the United States. Content analysis identified 10 themes of primary interest: diet, diagnosis or testing, treatment, medications or contraindications of medications, symptoms, tick related, specific sources of information and locations, general education information, alternative words for alpha-gal, and unrelated or other. Conclusions The study provides insights into the changing information-seeking patterns for alpha-gal, indicating growing awareness and interest. Alpha-gal search volume is increasing at a rapid rate. Understanding specific questions and concerns can help health care providers and public health educators to tailor communication strategies. The Google Trends Supercharged-Glimpse tool offers enhanced features for analyzing information-seeking behavior and can be valuable for infodemiology research. Further research is needed to explore the evolving prevalence and impact of alpha-gal syndrome.

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“…rely on the Google Health Trends API, which has advantages in facilitating comparisons between regions across many keywords 11,12 ; however, this data source is not easily accessible for a public audience, which may pose difficulties in its use in a policy context. Instead, we rely on data from the web-based platform to facilitate replicating the analysis.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolution of the COVID-19 Pandemic Through the Lens of Google Searches

Marty¹,

Maqueda²,

Khan³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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Real-time data is essential for policymakers to adapt to a rapidly evolving situation like the COVID-19 pandemic. Relying on Google search interest data across 207 countries and territories, we demonstrate the capacity of publicly-available, real-time data to anticipate COVID-19 cases; evaluate the economic, mental health, and social impacts of containment policies; and identify demand for (mis)information about COVID-19 vaccines. We show that: (1) search interest in COVID-specific symptoms can anticipate rising COVID-19 cases across both high- and low-income settings; (2) countries with more restrictive containment policies experienced larger socio-economic externalities; in addition, lower-income countries experienced less searches for unemployment, but more pronounced mental health externalities; and (3) high vaccination rates are associated with strong demand for information about vaccine appointments and side effects; in some settings, high interest in misinformation search terms is associated with low vaccination rates. Overall, the results demonstrate that real-time search interest data can be a valuable tool for both high- and low-income countries to inform policies across multiple stages of the pandemic.

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Harnessing Google Health Trends Data for Epidemiologic Research

Cited by 10 publications

References 16 publications

Trends and Adverse Outcomes of Xylazine Misuse: A Digital Surveillance Study

Trends and Adverse Outcomes of Xylazine Misuse: A Digital Surveillance Study

Emerging Trends in Information-Seeking Behavior for Alpha-Gal Syndrome: Infodemiology Study Using Time Series and Content Analysis

The Evolution of the COVID-19 Pandemic Through the Lens of Google Searches

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