scholarly journals Assessment of the Frequency of Online Searches for Symptoms Before Diagnosis: Analysis of Archival Data

10.2196/15065 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. e15065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irit Hochberg ◽  
Raviv Allon ◽  
Elad Yom-Tov
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Medical Diagnosis ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Large Variability ◽  
People Search ◽  
Search For Information ◽  
Medical Symptoms

Background Surveys suggest that a large proportion of people use the internet to search for information on medical symptoms they experience and that around one-third of the people in the United States self-diagnose using online information. However, surveys are known to be biased, and the true rates at which people search for information on their medical symptoms before receiving a formal medical diagnosis are unknown. Objective This study aimed to estimate the rate at which people search for information on their medical symptoms before receiving a formal medical diagnosis by a health professional. Methods We collected queries made on a general-purpose internet search engine by people in the United States who self-identified their diagnosis from 1 of 20 medical conditions. We focused on conditions that have evident symptoms and are neither screened systematically nor a part of usual medical care. Thus, they are generally diagnosed after the investigation of specific symptoms. We evaluated how many of these people queried for symptoms associated with their medical condition before their formal diagnosis. In addition, we used a survey questionnaire to assess the familiarity of laypeople with the symptoms associated with these conditions. Results On average, 15.49% (1792/12,367, SD 8.4%) of people queried about symptoms associated with their medical condition before receiving a medical diagnosis. A longer duration between the first query for a symptom and the corresponding diagnosis was correlated with an increased likelihood of people querying about those symptoms (rho=0.6; P=.005); similarly, unfamiliarity with the association between a condition and its symptom was correlated with an increased likelihood of people querying about those symptoms (rho=−0.47; P=.08). In addition, worrying symptoms were 14% more likely to be queried about. Conclusions Our results indicate that there is large variability in the percentage of people who query the internet for their symptoms before a formal medical diagnosis is made. This finding has important implications for systems that attempt to screen for medical conditions.

scholarly journals Medical cannabis use in the United States: a retrospective database study

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Kishan Mahabir ◽  
Jamil J. Merchant ◽  
Christopher Smith ◽  
Alisha Garibaldi
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
The United States ◽  
Categorical Variables ◽  
Continuous Variables ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Comorbid Conditions ◽  
Medical Cannabis ◽  
Number Of Patients

Abstract Introduction Growing interest in the medicinal properties of cannabis has led to an increase in its use to treat medical conditions, and the establishment of state-specific medical cannabis programs. Despite medical cannabis being legal in 33 states and the District of Colombia, there remains a paucity of data characterizing the patients accessing medical cannabis programs. Methods We retrospectively reviewed a registry with data from 33 medical cannabis evaluation clinics in the United States, owned and operated by CB2 Insights. Data were collected primarily by face-to-face interviews for patients seeking medical cannabis certification between November 18, 2018 and March 18, 2020. Patients were removed from the analysis if they did not have a valid date of birth, were less than 18, or did not have a primary medical condition reported; a total of 61,379 patients were included in the analysis. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics expressed as a mean (standard deviation (SD)) or median (interquartile range (IQR)) as appropriate for continuous variables, and number (percent) for categorical variables. Statistical tests performed across groups included t-tests, chi-squared tests and regression. Results The average age of patients was 45.5, 54.8% were male and the majority were Caucasian (87.5%). Female patients were significantly older than males (47.0 compared to 44.6). Most patients reported cannabis experience prior to seeking medical certification (66.9%). The top three mutually exclusive primary medical conditions reported were unspecified chronic pain (38.8%), anxiety (13.5%) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (8.4%). The average number of comorbid conditions reported was 2.7, of which anxiety was the most common (28.3%). Females reported significantly more comorbid conditions than males (3.1 compared to 2.3). Conclusion This retrospective study highlighted the range and number of conditions for which patients in the US seek medical cannabis. Rigorous clinical trials investigating the use of medical cannabis to treat pain conditions, anxiety, insomnia, depression and PTSD would benefit a large number of patients, many of whom use medical cannabis to treat multiple conditions.

scholarly journals Tracking Self-reported Symptoms and Medical Conditions on Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Infodemiological Study

10.2196/29413 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e29413
Author(s):  
Qinglan Ding ◽  
Daisy Massey ◽  
Chenxi Huang ◽  
Connor B Grady ◽  
Yuan Lu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
United States ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Weight Loss ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medical Conditions ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Over Time

Background Harnessing health-related data posted on social media in real time can offer insights into how the pandemic impacts the mental health and general well-being of individuals and populations over time. Objective This study aimed to obtain information on symptoms and medical conditions self-reported by non-Twitter social media users during the COVID-19 pandemic, to determine how discussion of these symptoms and medical conditions changed over time, and to identify correlations between frequency of the top 5 commonly mentioned symptoms post and daily COVID-19 statistics (new cases, new deaths, new active cases, and new recovered cases) in the United States. Methods We used natural language processing (NLP) algorithms to identify symptom- and medical condition–related topics being discussed on social media between June 14 and December 13, 2020. The sample posts were geotagged by NetBase, a third-party data provider. We calculated the positive predictive value and sensitivity to validate the classification of posts. We also assessed the frequency of health-related discussions on social media over time during the study period, and used Pearson correlation coefficients to identify statistically significant correlations between the frequency of the 5 most commonly mentioned symptoms and fluctuation of daily US COVID-19 statistics. Results Within a total of 9,807,813 posts (nearly 70% were sourced from the United States), we identified a discussion of 120 symptom-related topics and 1542 medical condition–related topics. Our classification of the health-related posts had a positive predictive value of over 80% and an average classification rate of 92% sensitivity. The 5 most commonly mentioned symptoms on social media during the study period were anxiety (in 201,303 posts or 12.2% of the total posts mentioning symptoms), generalized pain (189,673, 11.5%), weight loss (95,793, 5.8%), fatigue (91,252, 5.5%), and coughing (86,235, 5.2%). The 5 most discussed medical conditions were COVID-19 (in 5,420,276 posts or 66.4% of the total posts mentioning medical conditions), unspecified infectious disease (469,356, 5.8%), influenza (270,166, 3.3%), unspecified disorders of the central nervous system (253,407, 3.1%), and depression (151,752, 1.9%). Changes in posts in the frequency of anxiety, generalized pain, and weight loss were significant but negatively correlated with daily new COVID-19 cases in the United States (r=-0.49, r=-0.46, and r=-0.39, respectively; P<.05). Posts on the frequency of anxiety, generalized pain, weight loss, fatigue, and the changes in fatigue positively and significantly correlated with daily changes in both new deaths and new active cases in the United States (r ranged=0.39-0.48; P<.05). Conclusions COVID-19 and symptoms of anxiety were the 2 most commonly discussed health-related topics on social media from June 14 to December 13, 2020. Real-time monitoring of social media posts on symptoms and medical conditions may help assess the population’s mental health status and enhance public health surveillance for infectious disease.

Sex Differences in Mass Media Preferences Across Four Asian Countries

2011 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 186-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Malini Ratnasingam ◽  
Lee Ellis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sex Differences ◽  
Mass Media ◽  
The United States ◽  
Female Students ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Evolutionary Explanation ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
The World ◽  
Media Preferences

Background. Nearly all of the research on sex differences in mass media utilization has been based on samples from the United States and a few other Western countries. Aim. The present study examines sex differences in mass media utilization in four Asian countries (Japan, Malaysia, South Korea, and Singapore). Methods. College students self-reported the frequency with which they accessed the following five mass media outlets: television dramas, televised news and documentaries, music, newspapers and magazines, and the Internet. Results. Two significant sex differences were found when participants from the four countries were considered as a whole: Women watched television dramas more than did men; and in Japan, female students listened to music more than did their male counterparts. Limitations. A wider array of mass media outlets could have been explored. Conclusions. Findings were largely consistent with results from studies conducted elsewhere in the world, particularly regarding sex differences in television drama viewing. A neurohormonal evolutionary explanation is offered for the basic findings.

Bali 1928 Music Recordings and 1930s Films

2018 ◽  
pp. 348-372
Author(s):  
Edward Herbst
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Grass Roots ◽  
Emerging Media ◽  
Dominate Discourse ◽  
Music Recordings

Bali 1928 is a restoration and repatriation project involving the first published recordings of music in Bali and related film footage and photographs from the 1930s, and a collaboration with Indonesians in all facets of vision, planning, and implementation. Dialogic research among centenarian and younger performers, composers and indigenous scholars has repatriated their knowledge and memories, rekindled by long-lost aural and visual resources. The project has published a series of five CD and DVD volumes in Indonesia by STIKOM Bali and CDs in the United States by Arbiter Records, with dissemination through emerging media and the Internet, and grass-roots repatriation to the genealogical and cultural descendants of the 1928 and 1930s artists and organizations. Extensive research has overcome anonymity, so common with archival materials, which deprives descendants of their unique identities, local epistemologies, and techniques, marginalizing and homogenizing a diverse heritage so that entrenched hegemonies prevail and dominate discourse, authority, and power.

Sources of Information About Gestational Weight Gain, Diet, and Exercise Among Brazilian Immigrant Women Living in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-41
Author(s):  
Ana Cristina Lindsay ◽  
Qun Le ◽  
Denise Lima Nogueira ◽  
Márcia M. T. Machado ◽  
Mary L. Greaney
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Gestational Weight Gain ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Gestational Weight ◽  
Diet And Exercise ◽  
First Time

Abstract Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess sources of information about gestational weight gain (GWG), diet, and exercise among first-time pregnant Brazilian women in the United States (US). Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Massachusetts, United States. Participants: First-time pregnant Brazilian women. Results: Eighty-six women, the majority of whom were immigrants (96.5%) classified as having low-acculturation levels (68%), participated in the study. Approximately two-thirds of respondents had sought information about GWG (72.1%), diet (79.1%), and exercise (74.4%) via the internet. Women classified as having low acculturation levels were more likely to seek information about GWG via the internet (OR = 7.55; 95% CI: 1.41, 40.26) than those with high acculturation levels after adjusting for age and receiving information about GWG from healthcare provider (doctor or midwife). Moreover, many respondents reported seeking information about GWG (67%), diet (71%), and exercise (52%) from family and friends. Women who self-identified as being overweight pre-pregnancy were less likely to seek information about diet (OR = 0.32; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.93) and exercise (OR = 0.33; 95% CI: 0.11, 0.96) from family and friends than those who self-identified being normal weight pre-pregnancy. Conclusions: This is the first study to assess sources of information about GWG, diet, and exercise among pregnant Brazilian immigrants in the US. Findings have implications for the design of interventions and suggest the potential of mHealth intervention as low-cost, easy access option for delivering culturally and linguistically tailored evidence-based information about GWG incorporating behavioral change practices to this growing immigrant group.

Identifying New Directions for African Studies: Methodology Report and Survey Results

2002 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 76-88
Author(s):  
Larry W. Bowman ◽  
Diana T. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
The United States ◽  
African Studies ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Coverage Error ◽  
New Directions ◽  
Survey Results

The sample frame was constructed over several months through the combined efforts of three graduate students and Prof. Larry W. Bowman. Using the Internet whenever possible, and backed by the assistance of colleagues from many institutions, we constructed a sample frame of 1,793 U.S.-based Africanists. Our sample frame includes 46 percent more Africanists than the 1,229 individual U.S. members of the African Studies Association (ASA) in 2001 (1,112 individual members and 117 lifetime members). In all cases we allowed institutions to self-define who they considered their African studies faculty to be. By assembling this broad sample frame of African studies faculty, we probe more deeply into the national world of African studies than can be done even through a membership survey of our largest and most established national African studies organization. The sample frame for this study approximates a full enumeration of the Africanist population in the United States. Therefore, data collected from samples drawn from this frame can with some confidence be generalized to all Africanists in the United States, with minimal coverage error.

scholarly journals Influenza vaccine effectiveness among patients with high-risk medical conditions in the United States, 2012–2016

Vaccine ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (52) ◽  
pp. 8047-8053 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Shang ◽  
Jessie R. Chung ◽  
Michael L. Jackson ◽  
Lisa A. Jackson ◽  
Arnold S. Monto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Influenza Vaccine ◽  
The United States ◽  
Vaccine Effectiveness ◽  
Medical Conditions

scholarly journals Comparison of Digital Copyright Protection on Over the Top (OTT) Streaming Content Media in Indonesia and the United States

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 183-212
Author(s):  
Agung Kurniawan Sihombing ◽  
Rika Ratna Permata ◽  
Tasya Safiranita Ramli
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Copyright Protection ◽  
Technological Development ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Digital Copyright ◽  
Physical Form ◽  
Digital Copyright Protection ◽  
Over The Top

In the rapid technological development, physical boundaries have begun to disappear. The internet has created a ‘free culture’. In addition, the era is challenging the copyright concept along with the emergence of ‘digital copyright’. It has become the main commodity of Over-the-Top services providing means of communication and entertainment through the internet. Content streaming service like Netflix uses films, as well as other cinematographic works, as its main commodities. OTT Streaming media helps to protect copyright holders' rights that previously have been violated by illegal streaming sites on the internet. Unfortunately, it also raises a new question: how digital copyright-objects can be protected in this kind of service. Without physical form, copyright object can be distributed easily on the internet, and it may lead to right violations. To answer this problem, the authors aim to describe the digital copyright protection on OTT Streaming Content Media in Indonesia and compare them to the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) of the United States of America using a descriptive-analytical approach. This study employed a normative juridical approach with secondary data. The results of this study indicate that digital copyright protection in Indonesia is still centered on conventional copyright objects, and a sui generis law is needed to provide better protection for digital copyright objects.

scholarly journals Asia`s Role in Internet Governance

2009 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 137-142
Author(s):  
Park Y. J.
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Public Policy ◽  
Civil Society ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Internet Governance ◽  
The Public ◽  
Policy Negotiation ◽  
Global Public Policy

Most stakeholders from Asia have not actively participated in the global Internet governance debate. This debate has been shaped by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers(ICANN) since 198 and the UN Internet Governance Forum (IGF) since 2006. Neither ICANN nor IGF are well received as global public policy negotiation platforms by stakeholders in Asia, but more and more stakeholders in Europe and the United States take both platforms seriously. Stakeholders in Internet governance come from the private sector and civil society as well as the public sector.

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