scholarly journals Using Google Trends to Examine the Spatio-Temporal Incidence and Behavioral Patterns of Dengue Disease: A Case Study in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howell T. Ho ◽  
Thaddeus M. Carvajal ◽  
John Robert Bautista ◽  
Jayson Dale R. Capistrano ◽  
Katherine M. Viacrusis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Temporal Relationship ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Epidemiological Methods ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Dengue Outbreaks

AbstractDengue is a major public health concern and an economic burden in the Philippines. Despite the country’s improved dengue surveillance, it still suffers from various setbacks and therefore needs to be complemented with alternative approaches. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of internet-based surveillance such as Google Dengue Trends (GDT) in supplementing current epidemiological methods for predicting future dengue outbreaks and patterns. With this, our study aims to assess the temporal relationship of GDT and dengue incidence in Metropolitan Manila from previous years and examine web search behavior of the population towards the disease. The study collated and organized the population statistics and reported dengue cases in Metropolitan Manila from respective government agencies to calculate the spatial and temporal dengue incidence. The relative search volume of the term ‘dengue’ and top dengue-related search queries in Metropolitan Manila were obtained and organized from the Google trends platform. Data processing of GDT and dengue incidence was performed by conducting an ‘adjustment’ procedure and subsequently used for correlation and cross-correlation analyses. Moreover, a thematic analysis was employed on the top dengue-related search queries. Results revealed a high temporal relationship between GDT and dengue incidence when either one of the variables is adjusted. Cross-correlation showed that there is delayed effect (1-2 weeks) of GDT to dengue incidence, demonstrating its potential in predicting future dengue outbreaks and patterns in Metropolitan Manila. Thematic analysis of dengue-related search queries indicated 5 categories namely; (a) dengue, (b) sign and symptoms of dengue, (c) treatment and prevention, (d) mosquito and (e) other diseases where the majority of the search queries was ‘signs and symptoms’ which indicate the health-seeking behavior of the population towards the disease.

scholarly journals Using Google Trends to Examine the Spatio-Temporal Incidence and Behavioral Patterns of Dengue Disease: A Case Study in Metropolitan Manila, Philippines

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Howell T. Ho ◽  
Thaddeus M. Carvajal ◽  
John Robert Bautista ◽  
Jayson Dale R. Capistrano ◽  
Katherine M. Viacrusis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Epidemiological Methods ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Health Seeking Behavior ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Seeking Behavior

Dengue is a major public health concern and an economic burden in the Philippines. Despite the country’s improved dengue surveillance, it still suffers from various setbacks and needs to be complemented with alternative approaches. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of Internet-based surveillance such as Google Dengue Trends (GDT) in supplementing current epidemiological methods for predicting future dengue outbreaks and patterns. With this, our study has two objectives: (1) assess the temporal relationship of weekly GDT and dengue incidence in Metropolitan Manila from 2009–2014; and (2) examine the health-seeking behavior based on dengue-related search queries of the population. The study collated the population statistics and reported dengue cases in Metropolitan Manila from respective government agencies to calculate the dengue incidence (DI) on a weekly basis for the entire region and annually per city. Data processing of GDT and dengue incidence was performed by conducting an ‘adjustment’ and scaling procedures, respectively, and further analyzed for correlation and cross-correlation analyses using Pearson’s correlation. The relative search volume of the term ‘dengue’ and top dengue-related search queries in Metropolitan Manila were obtained and organized from the Google Trends platform. Afterwards, a thematic analysis was employed, and word clouds were generated to examine the health behavior of the population. Results showed that weekly temporal GDT pattern are closely similar to the weekly DI pattern in Metropolitan Manila. Further analysis showed that GDT has a moderate and positive association with DI when adjusted or scaled, respectively. Cross-correlation analysis revealed a delayed effect where GDT leads DI by 1–2 weeks. Thematic analysis of dengue-related search queries indicated 5 categories namely; (a) dengue, (b) sign and symptoms of dengue, (c) treatment and prevention, (d) mosquito, and (e) other diseases. The majority of the search queries were classified in ‘signs and symptoms’ which indicate the health-seeking behavior of the population towards the disease. Therefore, GDT can be utilized to complement traditional disease surveillance methods combined with other factors that could potentially identify dengue hotspots and help in public health decisions.

scholarly journals Using Application Programming Interfaces to Access Google Data for Health Research: Protocol for a Methodological Framework (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Zepecki ◽  
Sylvia Guendelman ◽  
John DeNero ◽  
Ndola Prata
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Birth Control ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Health Trends ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Application Programming ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
Google Search

BACKGROUND Individuals are increasingly turning to search engines like Google to obtain health information and access resources. Analysis of Google search queries offers a novel approach, which is part of the methodological toolkit for infodemiology or infoveillance researchers, to understanding population health concerns and needs in real time or near-real time. While searches predominantly have been examined with the Google Trends website tool, newer application programming interfaces (APIs) are now available to academics to draw a richer landscape of searches. These APIs allow users to write code in languages like Python to retrieve sample data directly from Google servers. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel protocol to determine the top queries, volume of queries, and the top sites reached by a population searching on the web for a specific health term. The protocol retrieves Google search data obtained from three Google APIs: Google Trends, Google Health Trends (also referred to as Flu Trends), and Google Custom Search. METHODS Our protocol consisted of four steps: (1) developing a master list of top search queries for an initial search term using Google Trends, (2) gathering information on relative search volume using Google Health Trends, (3) determining the most popular sites using Google Custom Search, and (4) calculating estimated total search volume. We tested the protocol following key procedures at each step and verified its usefulness by examining search traffic on <i>birth control</i> in 2017 in the United States. Two separate programmers working independently achieved similar results with insignificant variation due to sample variability. RESULTS We successfully tested the methodology on the initial search term <i>birth control</i>. We identified top search queries for <i>birth control</i>, of which <i>birth control pill</i> was the most popular and obtained the relative and estimated total search volume for the top queries: relative search volume was 0.54 for the pill, corresponding to an estimated 9.3-10.7 million searches. We used the estimates of the proportion of search activity for the top queries to arrive at a generated list of the most popular websites: for the pill, the Planned Parenthood website was the top site. CONCLUSIONS The proposed methodological framework demonstrates how to retrieve Google query data from multiple Google APIs and provides thorough documentation required to systematically identify search queries and websites, as well as estimate relative and total search volume of queries in real time or near-real time in specific locations and time periods. Although the protocol needs further testing, it allows researchers to replicate the steps and shows promise in advancing our understanding of population-level health concerns. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR1-10.2196/16543

scholarly journals Will I die of coronavirus? Google Trends data reveal that politics determine virus fears

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (10) ◽  
pp. e0258189
Author(s):  
Joan C. Timoneda ◽  
Sebastián Vallejo Vera
Keyword(s):  
General Population ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Political Preferences ◽  
2016 Election ◽  
Election Results ◽  
Epidemiological Trends ◽  
Abundant Data

Is Google Trends (GT) useful to survey populations? Extant work has shown that certain search queries reflect the attitudes of hard-to-survey populations, but we do not know if this extends to the general population. In this article, we leverage abundant data from the Covid-19 pandemic to assess whether people’s worries about the pandemic match epidemiological trends as well as political preferences. We use the string ‘will I die from coronavirus’ on GT as the measure for people’s level of distress regarding Covid-19. We also test whether concern for coronavirus is a partisan issue by contrasting GT data and 2016 election results. We find strong evidence that (1) GT search volume close matches epidemiological data and (2) significant differences exist between states that supported Clinton or Trump in 2016.

scholarly journals Using Application Programming Interfaces to Access Google Data for Health Research: Protocol for a Methodological Framework

10.2196/16543 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e16543
Author(s):  
Anne Zepecki ◽  
Sylvia Guendelman ◽  
John DeNero ◽  
Ndola Prata
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Birth Control ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Search Term ◽  
Health Trends ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Application Programming ◽  
Relative Search Volume ◽  
Google Search

Background Individuals are increasingly turning to search engines like Google to obtain health information and access resources. Analysis of Google search queries offers a novel approach, which is part of the methodological toolkit for infodemiology or infoveillance researchers, to understanding population health concerns and needs in real time or near-real time. While searches predominantly have been examined with the Google Trends website tool, newer application programming interfaces (APIs) are now available to academics to draw a richer landscape of searches. These APIs allow users to write code in languages like Python to retrieve sample data directly from Google servers. Objective The purpose of this paper is to describe a novel protocol to determine the top queries, volume of queries, and the top sites reached by a population searching on the web for a specific health term. The protocol retrieves Google search data obtained from three Google APIs: Google Trends, Google Health Trends (also referred to as Flu Trends), and Google Custom Search. Methods Our protocol consisted of four steps: (1) developing a master list of top search queries for an initial search term using Google Trends, (2) gathering information on relative search volume using Google Health Trends, (3) determining the most popular sites using Google Custom Search, and (4) calculating estimated total search volume. We tested the protocol following key procedures at each step and verified its usefulness by examining search traffic on birth control in 2017 in the United States. Two separate programmers working independently achieved similar results with insignificant variation due to sample variability. Results We successfully tested the methodology on the initial search term birth control. We identified top search queries for birth control, of which birth control pill was the most popular and obtained the relative and estimated total search volume for the top queries: relative search volume was 0.54 for the pill, corresponding to an estimated 9.3-10.7 million searches. We used the estimates of the proportion of search activity for the top queries to arrive at a generated list of the most popular websites: for the pill, the Planned Parenthood website was the top site. Conclusions The proposed methodological framework demonstrates how to retrieve Google query data from multiple Google APIs and provides thorough documentation required to systematically identify search queries and websites, as well as estimate relative and total search volume of queries in real time or near-real time in specific locations and time periods. Although the protocol needs further testing, it allows researchers to replicate the steps and shows promise in advancing our understanding of population-level health concerns. International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR1-10.2196/16543

scholarly journals Google, Tell Me. Is He Gay? Masculinity, Heterosexuality, and Gendered Anxieties in Google Search Queries about Sexuality

2021 ◽  
pp. 073112142110019
Author(s):  
Emma Mishel ◽  
Tristan Bridges ◽  
Mónica L. Caudillo
Keyword(s):  
Social Desirability ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Social Desirability Bias ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Search Queries ◽  
Sexual Identities ◽  
Google Search

It is difficult to gauge people’s acceptance about same-sex sexualities, as responses to questionnaires are prone to social desirability bias. We offer a new proxy for understanding popular concern surrounding same-sex sexualities: prevalence of Google searches demonstrating concern over gay/lesbian sexual identities. Using Google Trends data, we find that Google searches about whether a specific person is gay or lesbian show patterned bias toward masculine searches, in that such searches are much more frequently conducted about boys and men compared with girls and women. We put these findings into context by comparing search frequencies with other popular Google searches about sexuality and otherwise. We put forth that the patterned bias toward masculine searches illustrates support for the enduring relationship between masculinity and heterosexuality and that it does so on a larger scale than previous research has been able to establish.

scholarly journals Increase in searches for erectile dysfunction during winter: seasonal variation evidence from Google Trends in the United States

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Belén Mora Garijo ◽  
Jonathan E. Katz ◽  
Aubrey Greer ◽  
Mia Gonzalgo ◽  
Alejandro García López ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Prostate Cancer ◽  
United States ◽  
Erectile Dysfunction ◽  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Kidney Stones ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
The United States ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Internet Search ◽  
Search Volume

AbstractSeveral diseases associated with erectile dysfunction (ED), such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD), are known to have seasonal variation, with increased incidence during winter months. However, no literature exists on whether this chronological-seasonal evolution is also present within ED symptomatology. We hypothesized ED would follow the seasonal pattern of its lifestyle-influenced comorbid conditions and exhibit increased incidence during winter months. In order to investigate the seasonal variation of ED in the United States between 2009 and 2019, Internet search query data were obtained using Google Trends. Normalized search volume was determined during the winter and summer seasons for ED, other diseases known to be significantly associated with ED (T2DM and CAD), kidney stones (positive control), and prostate cancer (negative control). There were significantly more internet search queries for ED during the winter than during the summer (p = 0.001). CAD and T2DM also had significantly increased search volume during winter months compared to summer months (p < 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). By contrast, searches for kidney stones were significantly increased in the summer than in the winter (p < 0.001). There was no significant seasonal variation in the relative search frequency for prostate cancer (p = 0.75). In conclusion, Google Trends internet search data across a ten-year period in the United States suggested a seasonal variation in ED, which implies an increase in ED during winter. This novel finding in ED epidemiology may help increase awareness of ED’s associated lifestyle risk factors, which may facilitate early medical evaluation and treatment for those at risk of both ED and cardiovascular disease.

Global Cleft Lip and Palate Outreach: A Google Trends Analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 105566562110698
Author(s):  
Joshua P Weissman ◽  
Narainsai K Reddy ◽  
Nikhil D Shah ◽  
Arun K Gosain
Keyword(s):  
Cleft Palate ◽  
Cleft Lip ◽  
Cleft Lip And Palate ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
World Health ◽  
Patient Awareness ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Who Indicators ◽  
Cleft Surgery

Understanding patient awareness of cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and evaluating demand for necessary procedures may serve to better target future efforts in global outreach. We utilized internet search query data from Google Trends for the terms: “cleft lip,” “cleft palate,” “cleft lip and palate,” “cleft surgery,” and “cleft repair” from January 2004 to January 2021. Relative search volumes (RSV) recorded for the top 5 highest displaying countries and top 3 available regions within those countries were compared against global outreach by Operation Smile and Smile Train, as measured by the number of patients treated. World Health Organization (WHO) indicators were used to validate the RSV values for each country and better understand the current infrastructure and need for cleft care in those countries. Globally, there was an increase in RSV for the terms “cleft lip,” “cleft palate,” “cleft repair,” and “cleft surgery” between 2004 and 2021. For “cleft lip,” the countries with the highest displaying RSVs included: Ghana (100%), Zimbabwe (97%), Nepal (78%), the Philippines (64%), and Kenya (52%). Countries with high RSVs and moderate to high WHO indicators included Ghana, Kenya, India, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. Countries with high RSVs and poor WHO indicators included Nepal and Pakistan. Some countries had specific regions with high search demand that are not currently targeted for global outreach. Using Google Trends’ data may help find more feasible locations and targeted care for efforts in global outreach with better patient awareness and turnout where demand for CL/P is increasing.

scholarly journals Attaining food self-sufficiency through the Edible Landscaping (EL) Technology: Assessing the Promotional Activities of EL in the Philippines, amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 879 (1) ◽  
pp. 012014
Author(s):  
F C Sanchez ◽  
Jr.M C Ilang-Ilang ◽  
M C E Balladares ◽  
B V Apacionado ◽  
R R P Tayobong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Household Food ◽  
The People ◽  
Self Sufficiency ◽  
Edible Landscaping ◽  
The University ◽  
A Current

Abstract The sustainability of the food supply seems to be a never-ending concern of many households in the Philippines. This concern is most especially felt in this time of pandemic wherein many Filipinos are struggling on where to get their food to feed their families. The adoption of edible landscaping has become more in demand because of the current situation caused by the pandemic. As such, having a sustainable edible garden is very much recommended because it can provide the household a “garden to table” food which can help in making the household food self-sufficient. There is a current need to promote edible landscaping technology primarily through trainings and seminars and it should be intensified to inform and educate the people on food self-sufficiency amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Edible landscaping (EL) as an approach that merges the science of crop production and the art of landscaping, is continuously being promoted using different strategies and one of which is the conduct of trainings and seminars all over the Philippines. This study assessed the different ways by which the Edible Landscaping Team of the University of the Philippines Los Banos delivered promotional activities such as webinars and e-training amidst the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. This research was conducted using the qualitative approach, specific case studies, and the data gathered were analyzed using thematic analysis. More than 39,000 individuals in the Philippines have already been reached and educated on the technology through the conduct of e-trainings and webinars. The presentations and lectures on edible landscaping were modified based on the needs of the requesting institution and were discussed using a combination of English and Filipino languages. The duration of the eight webinars ranged from a minimum of 30 minutes to a maximum of almost 5 hours (in discussion is written ‘almost 4 hours). Based on the comments, most of the online viewers gave affirmative responses.

scholarly journals Causality Analysis of Google Trends and Dengue Incidence in Bandung, Indonesia With Linkage of Digital Data Modeling: Longitudinal Observational Study

10.2196/17633 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. e17633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Syamsuddin ◽  
Muhammad Fakhruddin ◽  
Jane Theresa Marlen Sahetapy-Engel ◽  
Edy Soewono
Keyword(s):  
Linear Combination ◽  
Stationary Process ◽  
Impulse Response Function ◽  
Google Trends ◽  
Digital Data ◽  
Causality Analysis ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Dengue Outbreaks ◽  
Long Run Equilibrium

Background The popularity of dengue can be inferred from Google Trends that summarizes Google searches of related topics. Both the disease and its Google Trends have a similar source of causation in the dengue virus, leading us to hypothesize that dengue incidence and Google Trends results have a long-run equilibrium. Objective This research aimed to investigate the properties of this long-run equilibrium in the hope of using the information derived from Google Trends for the early detection of upcoming dengue outbreaks. Methods This research used the cointegration method to assess a long-run equilibrium between dengue incidence and Google Trends results. The long-run equilibrium was characterized by their linear combination that generated a stationary process. The Dickey-Fuller test was adopted to check the stationarity of the processes. An error correction model (ECM) was then adopted to measure deviations from the long-run equilibrium to examine the short-term and long-term effects. The resulting models were used to determine the Granger causality between the two processes. Additional information about the two processes was obtained by examining the impulse response function and variance decomposition. Results The Dickey-Fuller test supported an implicit null hypothesis that the dengue incidence and Google Trends results are nonstationary processes (P=.01). A further test showed that the processes were cointegrated (P=.01), indicating that their particular linear combination is a stationary process. These results permitted us to construct ECMs. The model showed the direction of causality of the two processes, indicating that Google Trends results will Granger-cause dengue incidence (not in the reverse order). Conclusions Various hypothesis testing results in this research concluded that Google Trends results can be used as an initial indicator of upcoming dengue outbreaks.

scholarly journals From Nursing to Courtroom: A Qualitative Descriptive Study of the Preparations, Motivations, and Barriers of Nurses Becoming Lawyers

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-23
Author(s):  
Homelo Valenzuela Estoque ◽  
Reynold Culimay Padagas
Keyword(s):  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Primary Treatment ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
Ethical Standards ◽  
Qualitative Research Design ◽  
Interview Guide ◽  
Qualitative Descriptive ◽  
Support Mechanisms ◽  
Conducting Research

Background: Transitioning is a common phenomenon that happens such as in a career shift provoked by either internal or external factors. This phenomenon also occurs to nurses becoming lawyers. Considering its complexity, such transition entails a process.Purpose: This study aimed to describe and uncover the preparations, motivations, ad barriers of nurses who transitioned into nurse-lawyers in the Philippines. Methods: The study employed descriptive-qualitative research design utilizing twenty participants selected through purposive and snowball or referral sampling techniques. A semi-structured interview guide was used for the data collection using Google form. Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis was utilized as the primary treatment of the transcribed data. Strict observance of ethical standards in conducting research was ensured.Results: The study found out several themes and subcategories from the thematic analysis conducted. These included (1) “pre-planning emotive expressions”; (2) “motivations of career shift”; (3) “support mechanisms to afford career shift”; (4) “barriers to career shift”; (5) “the interconnectedness of law and nursing”; and (6) “impacts of the career shift.” Conclusion: Generally, the career shift of the nurse-lawyers presented significant themes pertinent to their preparations, motivations, and barriers in becoming lawyers. Apparently, these are all primordial in the career transition of the nurse-lawyers. Essentially, the study provides preliminary findings that may become springboard in the construction of a grounded theory that would explicate the transition of the nurse-lawyers as a phenomenon uniting and expanding nursing and the practice of law as complementary sciences.

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