Asociación entre las tendencias de búsqueda en internet con el número de casos confirmados por la viruela símica: estudio multinacional en diez países

Introducción: La viruela símica es una infección zoonótica que se ha distribuido por todo el mundo. La búsqueda de información en internet refleja el interés y concientización de la población acerca de salud. Objetivo: Determinar la asociación entre el volumen relativo de búsquedas en internet con el número de casos confirmados por la viruela símica en diez países. Métodos: Se realizó un estudio obser- vacional, analítico, retrospectivo, utilizando la herramienta Google Trends (GT™) para encontrar el volumen relativo búsqueda (VRB) sobre viruela símica desde 01 de enero al 31 de agosto del 2022 usando términos de búsqueda en el idioma oficial de los 10 países con mayor número de casos en dichas fechas, registrado por Our World in Data. Para establecer la relación lineal entre el VRB con los nuevos de casos por día se usó el coeficiente de correlación de Pearson con un nivel de significancia (p ≤ 0,05). Resultados: Se encontró un coeficiente de correlación de Pearson fuerte en Brasil (Rp = 0,562,p = 0,001), y débil en países como Alemania (Rp = 0,281, p = 0,004), Estados Unidos de Norteamérica (Rp = 0,255, p = 0,008), España (Rp = 0,122, p = 0,213), Perú (Rp = 0,120, p = 0,333), Canadá (Rp = 0,116, p = 0,238), Francia (Rp = 0,095, p = 0,335), Reino Unido (Rp = 0,085, p = 0,362), Portugal (Rp = 0,024, p = 0,805) y Países Bajos (Rp = 0,067, p = 0,497). Conclusión: Nuestro estudio evidencio que el VRB presento una relación positiva con el número de nuevos casos de viruela símica. Asimismo, se observo un coeficiente de correlación fuerte en Brasil, y en el resto de países fue débil.

Background: Smallpox is a zoonotic infection that has been distributed worldwide. The search for information on the Internet reflects the interest and awareness of the population about health. Aim: To determine the correlation between the relative volume of internet searches and the number of confirmed cases of smallpox in ten countries. Methods: An observational, analytical, retrospective study was conducted using the Google Trends (GT™) tool to find the relative search volume (RSV) on monkeypox from January 1 to August 31, 2022 using search terms in the official language of the 10 countries with the highest number of cases on those dates, as recorded by Our World in Data. To establish the relationship between RSV and new cases per day, Spearman's correlation was used with a significance level (p ≤ 0.05). Results: A. strong Pearson correlation coefficient was found in Brazil (Rp = 0.562, p = 0.001), and weak in countries like Germany (Rp = 0.281, p = 0.004), United States (Rp = 0.255, p = 0.008), Spain (Rp = 0. 122, p = 0.213), Peru (Rp = 0.120, p = 0.333), Canada (Rp = 0.116, p = 0.238), France (Rp = 0.095, p = 0.335), United Kingdom (Rp = 0.085, p = 0.362), Portugal (Rp = 0.024, p = 0.805) and Netherlands (Rp = 0.067, p = 0.497). Conclusion: Our study showed that RSV had a positive relationship with the number of new cases of smallpox. Also, a strong correlation coefficient was observed in Brazil, while the rest of the countries showed a weak correlation coefficient.

Regional differences in online interest in COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy: A Google Trends analysis / Philippine Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Background@#With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, pregnant women may turn to online information searches regarding COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccination. @*Objective@#We aimed to determine global online interest in COVID-19 infection and COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy. @*Materials and Methods@#We utilized Google Trends data to determine the global search volume index (SVI) for the search terms “COVID-19 in pregnancy” and “COVID vaccine pregnancy” from January 1, 2020, to February 12, 2022, and ranked the top 15 search queries via their individual SVIs to assess the worldwide distribution of interest. Using Pearson correlation, we correlated several economic and pandemic-related country-specific data with the SVIs for the two search terms, while we utilized a one-way analysis of variance to country income groups with the SVIs using ANOVA. Significant correlations were denoted with P < 0.05.@*Results@#SVI for “COVID-19” in pregnancy showed a minimal and nonsignificant downward trend in 2022. SVI for this search term was positively correlated with the SVI for “COVID vaccine pregnancy” (P < 0.05). On the other hand, SVI for “COVID vaccine in pregnancy” showed an exponential decline from November 2020 to 2022. SVI for this search term was also negatively correlated with deaths per 100,000 cases (P < 0.05). Although this was nonsignificant, high-income countries showed higher online interest with the two search terms than low- to low-middle-income countries. There were no significant correlations among specific economic and pandemic-related country-specific data and SVI for both search terms. @*Conclusion@#We observed a constant online interest in COVID-19 in pregnancy during the time period of the study, which may reflect the watchful engagement of people in the absence of face-to-face physician consultations. Peak online interest in COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy declined steadily, which may reflect either vaccine hesitancy or an increase in public knowledge of COVID-19 vaccines. High-income countries have apparently higher online interest in COVID-19 vaccines, which may be due to access to early mass administration to the general public. These data can be used as a reference regarding future policy-making in the setting of potentially massive public health emergency in the future.

A busca de informação sobre covid-19 na web: uma perspectiva cibermétrica / The search for information about covid-19 on the web: a cybermetric perspective / La búsqueda de información sobre covid-19 en la web: una perspectiva cibermetrica

Demonstrar a influência da pandemia de covid-19 nas buscas realizadas no Google por meio do levantamento de dados em uma aplicação cibermétrica. Método: Estudo de aplicação cibermétrica que utiliza a ferramenta Google Trends e os termos 'covid-19', 'coronavírus', 'cloroquina' e 'vacina contra a covid-19', para o período de 31 de dezembro de 2019 a 17 de janeiro de 2021. Resultados: Reconhecer que as primeiras buscas pelo termo 'covid-19' ocorreram na mesma data do anúncio do primeiro caso confirmado. Ocorreu também o crescimento no volume de busca por informações sobre os sintomas de pneumonia relacionadas com a primeira morte por coronavírus. A intensificação nas consultas relativas a 'covid vaccine allergy' esteve associada ao início da vacinação no mundo. Conclusão: Em períodos de pandemia, a sociedade procura intensamente por informações relacionadas ao seu contexto e a busca pode ser motivada pelos meios de comunicação.

It aims to show the influence of the covid-19 pandemic on the searches on Google, using the data survey in a cybermetric application. Method: It is a cybermetric study that uses the Google Trends tool by searching for 'covid-19', 'cononavírus', 'cloroquina' and 'vacina contra a covid-19' between December 31st, 2019, and January 17th, 2021. Results: It acknowledges that the first searches for the term 'covid-19' were made on the same day of the announcement of the first confirmed case. There was also a rise in the number of searches for information on symptoms of pneumonia related to the first death caused by coronavirus. The intensification in the searches related to 'covid vaccine allergy' was associated to the start of the vaccination in the world. Conclusion: In pandemic times, the society intensely searches for information related to their context and the searches can be motivated by the media.

Demostrar la influencia de la pandemia de la covid-19 en las búsquedas realizadas en Google, mediante la recolección de datos en una aplicación cibermétrica. Método: Estudio de aplicación cibernética utilizando la herramienta Google Trends y los términos 'covid-19', 'coronavírus', 'cloroquina' y 'vacina contra a covid-19' para el período de 31 de diciembre de 2019 al 17 de enero de 2021. Resultados: Reconoce que las primeras búsquedas del término 'covid-19' ocurrieron en la misma fecha que el anuncio del primer caso confirmado. También hubo un aumento en el volumen de búsqueda de información sobre síntomas de neumonía relacionados con la primera muerte por coronavirus. La intensificación de las consultas relacionadas con la 'covid vaccine allergy' se asoció con el inicio de la vacunación en todo el mundo. Conclusión: En períodos de pandemia, la sociedad búsqueda de manera intensiva información relacionada con su contexto y puede ser motivada por los medios de comunicación.

A survey of inflammatory bowel disease in China based on the Google Trends, Baidu index and WeChat index / 中华消化杂志

Objective:To analyze the epidemiological trends and population characteristics of inflammatory bowel disease(IBD)in China by searching keywords related to IBD through Google Trends, Baidu index, and WeChat index, so as to provide a reference for national epidemiological studies on IBD.Methods:IBD-related hot words such as "inflammatory bowel disease" , "Crohn′s disease" , "ulcerative colitis" , "gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)" , "irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)" and " Helicobacter pylori ( H. pylori)" were selected. The search volume and trends of the above keywords in the world and China were analyzed through Google Trends, Baidu index and WeChat index. The epidemiological characteristics of IBD in China were summarized. Descriptive methods were used for statistical analysis. Results:The results of Google Trends analysis showed that among 5 common digestive diseases (GERD, IBS, H. pylori infection, IBD and peptic ulcer), GERD was the most concerned disease, while IBD was not the focus among the common digestive diseases. When the global searching scope was limited to IBD related hot words, Crohn′s disease was the disease of primary concern among IBD-related diseases. In South America, South Asia, and parts of Africa, ulcerative colitis was mainly concerned, and in China and countries of Southeast Asia, IBD was more concerned. The searching results of Baidu index indicated that among the national search for IBD-related hot words, the 3 keywords of "inflammatory bowel disease" , "ulcerative colitis" and "Crohn′s disease" were all highly searched, the overall daily average of the search indexes of the 3 keywords were 325, 1 320 and 2 559, respectively, and the searching volume of "Crohn′s disease" was higher than "inflammatory bowel disease" and "ulcerative colitis" . The national wide trends of search volume for "inflammatory bowel disease" , "ulcerative colitis" and "Crohn′s disease" were similar, the search heat gradually decreased from the east coast to the northwest of China, which basically coincided with the three-level ladder trend of China′s economic development, suggesting that the level of economic development was related to the incidence of IBD. The results of Baidu index analysis showed that the main populations who searched IBD-related keywords were young adults and women aged from 20 to 39 years old. The results of WeChat index analysis revealed that the searching volume of "inflammatory bowel disease" , "ulcerative colitis" and "Crohn′s disease" were 205 000, 195 000 and 120 000, respectively, and the search volume for " inflammatory bowel disease" was the highest. The official account (90.27%) and the video account (7.43%) occupied the main sources of IBD-related information on mobile terminals. Conclusions:The IBD-associated internet activities reveal a global lack of public awareness of IBD. China also faces the same problem. The search trend is consistent with the epidemiology of IBD, which may be helpful for future epidemiological research of IBD in China. Mobile media will be a potential force in promoting the patient education and disease management of IBD in China.

Google Trends en Gastroenterología / Google Trends in Gastroenterology

Google Trends (GT) is an online portal that provides data on user search patterns. It is currently widely used in the vast majority of medical specialties. Objective: to analyze publications in gastroenterology that have used GT as an epidemiological tool. Methods: Using PubMed, Lilacs, Google Schoolar Academic and Scopus, we searched for gastroenterology articles that contained GT in their title or abstract between the years 2011 to 2021. Titles/abstracts had to also include at least one out of 49 terms related to digestive diseases from symptoms to treatments. Results: The 30 articles selected addressed topics such as symptoms, different pathologies including infectious, diagnostic methods and diets, among others. Conclusions: GT is a very useful tool to measure what people search for on the Internet and allows us to detect epidemic outbreaks, evaluate the impact of the days dedicated to some pathology as well as the impact of publications on the network of the public and doctors.

Google Trends (GT) es un portal en línea que proporciona datos sobre patrones de búsqueda de los usuarios. Actualmente muy utilizado en la gran mayoría de las especialidades médicas. Objetivo: analizar las publicaciones en gastroenterología que han usado a GT como herramienta epidemiológica. Material y Método: Mediante PubMed, Lilacs, Google Schoolar Academic y Scopus buscamos los artículos de gastroenterología que contenían a GT en su título o en el resumen entre los años 2011 a 2021. Los títulos/resúmenes debían incluir además, al menos uno de 49 términos relacionados a enfermedades digestivas desde síntomas hasta tratamientos. Resultados: Los 30 artículos seleccionados abordan temas como síntomas, distintas patologías incluyendo infecciosas, métodos diagnósticos y dietas, entre otras. Conclusiones: GT es una herramienta de gran utilidad para medir lo que las personas buscan en internet y permite detectar brotes epidémicos, evaluar el impacto de los días dedicados a de alguna patología así como el impacto de publicaciones en la red del público y médicos.

Correlación entre casos de varicela y búsquedas en Google en Perú

Resumen Con el objetivo de determinar la correlación entre los casos de varicela notificados en Perú y las búsquedas sobre varicela realizadas en Google a nivel nacional y por regiones se realizaron análisis de correlación de Spearman para las semanas epidemiológicas del 2016 al 2019, así como antes y después de la introducción de la vacuna para varicela en el Perú. A nivel nacional, se encontró una alta correlación antes del inicio de la vacunación (Rho 0,778, p = 0,001) y moderada durante el periodo de vacunación (Rho 0,441, p = 0,001). Algunas regiones tuvieron una correlación baja o muy baja y dejaron de ser estadísticamente significativas luego de la introducción de la vacuna en el Perú. Además, el cambio en la estacionalidad de la varicela durante el periodo de vacunación también tuvo un impacto en las búsquedas que realiza la población en Google.

Abstract In order to determine if there is a correlation between chickenpox cases reported in Peru and the chickenpox searches carried out on Google at national level and by regions, Spearman's correlation analyzes were carried out for the epidemiological weeks from 2016 to 2019, as well as before and after the introduction of the chickenpox vaccine in Peru. At the national level, a high correlation was found before the start of vaccination (Rho 0.778, p = 0.001) and moderate during the vaccination period (Rho 0.441, p = 0.001), some regions had a low or very low correlation and stopped to be statistically significant after the introduction of the vaccine in Peru. In addition, the change in the seasonality of chickenpox during the vaccination period also had an impact on the searches carried out by the population on Google.

Dióxido de cloro y su repercusión en las tendencias de búsquedas en internet durante la pandemia por la COVID-19 / Chlorine dioxide: its impact on internet search trends in times of COVID-19 / Dióxido de cloro e seu impacto nas tendências de pesquisa da Internet durante a pandemia de COVID-19

RESUMEN Introducción: El creciente número de casos de COVID-19 a nivel mundial han dado paso al deterioro de la de salud mental y la investigación de nuevos tratamientos; esto ha dado lugar a una explosión de búsquedas en internet de palabras clave. Objetivo: En esta investigación se ha descrito el uso de Google Trends para medir las búsquedas en internet de términos asociados a la pandemia por COVID-19 en distintas regiones de Perú y su potencial para realizar investigaciones en salud. Método: Se midió la tendencia de búsquedas en internet del término "dioxido de cloro" en el período entre el 3 de junio al 3 de septiembre de 2020. Se utilizaron los datos de Google Trends sobre una fracción de las búsquedas de las palabras clave, y se analizaron los resultados de acuerdo con una ubicación geográfica dada y un período definido. Resultados: Se encontró que los países que presentaron mayor nivel de búsqueda para dicho término fueron Bolivia, Perú, Ecuador, Argentina y México. Se encontró correlación positiva alta entre el nivel de búsqueda en Argentina y el número de casos en este país, a comparación de Perú, Ecuador y México, donde la correlación fue positiva muy baja. En el caso de Bolivia, se presentó una correlación negativa muy baja. Google Trends podría, además, definir potencialmente el momento y la ubicación adecuada para practicar estrategias de comunicación de riesgos a las poblaciones afectadas. Conclusiones: Existe correlación entre en número de casos y las búsquedas de dióxido de cloro como medida médica contra la COVID-19.

ABSTRACT Introduction: The increasing worldwide number of cases of COVID-19 has led to the deterioration of mental health and researches of new treatments; this has resulted in an explosion of keyword searches on Internet. Objective: This research has described the use of Google Trends to measure the search queries in internet for terms associated with the COVID-19 pandemic in different regions of Peru as well as its potential to conduct research on health aspects. Method: It was measured the search trends in internet for the term "chlorine dioxide" in the period from June 3 to September 3, 2020. Google trends data were used on a fraction of the keyword searches, and the outcomes were analyzed according to the geographic location and defined period. Results: It was found a higher tendency of searching related terms in Bolivia, Perú, Ecuador, Argentina, and México. A high positive correlation was found between the level of search in Argentina and the number of COVID-19 cases in this country, unlike Peru, Ecuador and Mexico, where the correlation was very low. Instead, in Bolivia there was a very low negative correlation. Google Trends could also potentially define the appropriate time and location to practice risk communication strategies to affected populations. Conclusions: An appropriate risk communication could help to prevent the excessive information intakes, which often causes concern or panic in different populations.

RESUMO Introdução: O crescente número de casos de COVID-19 em todo o mundo tem dado lugar à deterioração da saúde mental e à investigação de novos tratamentos; Isso levou a uma explosão de pesquisas de palavras-chave na Internet. Objetivo: Esta pesquisa descreveu o uso do Google Trends para medir buscas na internet por termos associados à pandemia COVID-19 em diferentes regiões do Peru e seu potencial para a realização de pesquisas em saúde. Método: A tendência das pesquisas na internet do termo "dióxido de cloro" foi medida no período entre 3 de junho e 3 de setembro de 2020. Os dados do Google Trends foram usados ​​em uma fração das pesquisas pelas palavras-chave, e os resultados foram analisados ​​de acordo com uma determinada localização geográfica e um período definido. Resultados: Constatou-se que os países com maior nível de busca por esse termo foram Bolívia, Peru, Equador, Argentina e México. Foi encontrada uma alta correlação positiva entre o nível de pesquisa na Argentina e o número de casos neste país, em comparação com Peru, Equador e México, onde a correlação foi muito baixa positiva. No caso da Bolívia, houve uma correlação negativa muito baixa. O Google Trends também pode definir o momento e o local certos para praticar estratégias de comunicação de risco para as populações afetadas. Conclusões: Há correlação entre o número de casos e as pesquisas de dióxido de cloro como medida médica contra o COVID-19.

Asociación entre la pandemia de COVID-19 y las tendencias de búsqueda en internet en Latinoamérica / Association between the pandemic COVID-19 and internet search trends in Latin America

La enfermedad COVID-19 ha puesto en emergencia sanitaria al mundo. La búsqueda de información a través de internet refleja en gran medida el interés de las personas acerca de esta pandemia. El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo determinar la asociación entre el volumen relativo de búsqueda del término combinado [coronavirus + covid-19 + nuevo coronavirus + covid + SARS-CoV-2] y el número de casos confirmados y de muertes diarias por la COVID-19. Se utilizó Google TrendsTM para proporcionar datos sobre el volumen relativo de búsqueda en Google de los términos seleccionados y compararlos con el número de casos confirmados y de muertes diarias por la COVID-19 en los 10 países más afectados de Latinoamérica, reportados por el panel de control de la Organización Mundial de la Salud. El período de evaluación fue del 01 de enero al 14 de junio del año 2020. Para obtener la asociación de las variables cuantitativas se utilizó el coeficiente de correlación de Spearman, con un nivel de significancia (p≤ 0,05). Se encontró una correlación positiva y significativa (p< 0,001) entre el volumen relativo de búsqueda del término combinado con el número de casos confirmados y de muertes cada día por la COVID-19. Por lo tanto, se puede utilizar un modelo basado en el interés de búsqueda en internet para predecir el desarrollo y el momento pico del brote de la COVID-19(AU)

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has put the world in a health emergency. The search for information through the Internet largely reflects the interest of people in this pandemic. The present study aimed to determine the association between the relative search volume of the combined term [coronavirus + covid-19 + new coronavirus + covid + SARS-CoV-2], and the number of confirmed cases and daily deaths from the COVID-19. Google TrendsTM was used to provide data on the relative search volume in Google for the selected terms and compare it with the number of confirmed cases and daily deaths from COVID-19 in the 10 most affected countries in Latin America, reported by the control panel of the World Health Organization on COVID-19 disease. The evaluation period was from January 01 to June 14, 2020. To obtain the relationship between quantitative variables, the Spearman correlation coefficient was used, with a level of significance (p≤ 0.05). A positive and significant correlation (p< 0.001) was found between the relative search volume of the term combined with the number of confirmed cases and deaths by day because of COVID-19. Therefore, an interest-based internet search model can be used to predict the development and peak timing of the COVID-19 outbreak(AU)

Análisis exploratorio de las tendencias de búsqueda en internet durante el brote de la COVID-19 / Exploratory analysis of internet search trends during the COVID-19 outbreak

Coronavirus disease 2019 has put the world in a health emergency. Searching for information on the Internet largely reflects people's interest in this pandemic. Objective: Conduct an exploratory analysis of Internet search trends during the 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak. Methods: Google Trends was used to provide data on the relative volume of Google searches for terms related to 2019 coronavirus disease. The evaluation period was from January 01 to May 17, 2020. Results: The search term used to know this pandemic was "coronavirus", the most searched symptom was "fever", followed by "sore throat" and "cough", in addition, the interest of users to know the transmission routes of the acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. As for preventive measures, the most searched term was "stay home", followed by "facial masks", "social distancing" and "washing hands". Conclusions: The results confirmed interest in COVID-19 via Internet. Using information from people's Internet search interest could help formulate health policies to better control the 2019 coronavirus disease outbreak(AU)

La enfermedad del coronavirus 2019 ha puesto al mundo en una emergencia sanitaria. La búsqueda de información en Internet refleja en gran medida el interés de la gente por esta pandemia. Objetivo: Realizar un análisis exploratorio de las tendencias de búsqueda en Internet durante el brote de la enfermedad por coronavirus de 2019. Métodos: Google Trends se utilizó para proporcionar datos sobre el volumen relativo de búsquedas en Google de términos relacionados con la enfermedad del coronavirus del año 2019. El período de evaluación fue del 1ro. de enero al 17 de mayo de 2020. Resultados: El término de búsqueda utilizado para conocer esta pandemia fue "coronavirus", el síntoma más buscado fue "fiebre", seguido de "dolor de garganta" y "tos"; además, el interés de los usuarios por conocer las vías de transmisión del síndrome respiratorio agudo del coronavirus 2. En cuanto a las medidas preventivas, el término más buscado fue "quedarse en casa", seguido de "máscaras faciales", "distanciamiento social" y "lavarse las manos". Conclusiones: Los resultados confirmaron el interés en el COVID-19 a través de Internet. El uso de información del interés de búsqueda de las personas en Internet podría ayudar a formular políticas de salud para controlar mejor el brote de la enfermedad del coronavirus del año 2019(AU)

A descriptive study of the regional and time-point changes in the Filipinos' internet search for tooth decay and toothache

Background@#The Philippines has one of the highest prevalence of untreated tooth decay (TD) in the world. Toothache (TA) is a common sequela of chronic and untreated TD. Google Trends (GT) offers an inexpensive and fast method of assessing search trend for these health conditions. @*Objectives@#This study aimed to characterize the regional and time-point variations in the Filipinos' internet searches for TD and TA. @*Methods@#A descriptive analysis of a search query done on Google Trends using the search terms TD and TA was done. The parameters were constrained to include only data from the Philippines, from November 2009 to November 2019, under the health category, and the web search database. @*Results@#The top three regions that had the highest searches for TA were MIMAROPA (100%), ARMM (100%), and Caraga (82%), while CAR (27%), Metro Manila (27%), and Ilocos Region had the highest search results for TD. From 2009 (19.85%) the searches for TA progressively increased until 2019 (92.61%), while the searches for TD remained comparable from 2009 (25.09%) to 2019 (25.98%). @*Conclusion@#The results of this study reveal regional and time-point differences in the Filipinos' search interests for TD and TA.

Tendencias de búsquedas en internet por la pandemia COVID-19 en Perú

RESUMEN En esta comunicación nos proponemos describir el uso de Google Trends para medir las búsquedas en internet de términos asociados a la pandemia por COVID-19 en distintas regiones de Perú y su potencial para realizar investigaciones en salud. Se midió la tendencia de búsquedas en internet de los términos "covid", "lavado de manos", "mascarillas", "distanciamiento" y "sars-cov-2".en el período entre el 27 de febrero al 27 de mayo de 2020 Se utilizaron los datos de Google Trends sobre una fracción de las búsquedas de las palabras clave, y se analizaron los resultados de acuerdo con una ubicación geográfica dada y un período definido. Para el término "covid" y "lavado de manos" la región con mayor nivel de interés fue Huancavelica con 100 búsquedas en cada término. Para el vocablo "mascarillas" predominó la región de Amazonas, también con 100 búsquedas. Igual condición se encontró en Moquegua y Puno para los términos "distanciamiento" y "sars-cov-2", respectivamente. Se encontró fuerte correlación entre covid, mascarillas, distanciamiento con el número de casos de COVID-19 en Perú y la misma situación pero con correlación ligeramente positiva para sars-cov-2 y lavado de manos. Google Trends podría, además, definir potencialmente el momento y la ubicación adecuada para practicar estrategias de comunicación de riesgos a las poblaciones afectadas. La comunicación adecuada del riesgo puede ayudar a prevenir la cantidad excesiva de información circulante, que suele provocar inquietud o pánico en estas poblaciones.

ABSTRACT The purpose of the present communication is to describe the use of Google Trends to measure web searches for terms associated to the COVID-19 pandemic in different regions of Peru and its potential to conduct health research. Measurements were taken of the trend of web searches for the terms "COVID", "handwashing", "facemasks", "distancing" and "SARS-CoV-2" in the period extending from 27 February to 27 May 2020. Google Trends data were applied to a number of the key word searches examined, and results were analyzed according to specific geographic locations and definite time periods. For the terms "COVID" and "handwashing" the region of greatest interest was Huancavelica with 100 searches for each term. For the term "facemasks" the Amazonas Region stood out, also with 100 searches. A similar situation was observed in Moquegua and Puno for the terms "distancing" and "SARS-CoV-2", respectively. A strong correlation was found between "COVID", "facemasks" and "distancing", and the number of COVID-19 cases in Peru. The same applies, though with a slightly positive correlation, to "SARS-CoV-2" and "handwashing". Google Trends could also potentially define the appropriate moment and location to implement risk communication strategies intended for the populations affected. Adequate risk communication may help prevent the excessive amount of information in circulation, which often causes disquiet or panic in those populations.

Google trends, una herramienta útil para detectar la presencia de polen atmosférico / Google trends, useful tool in airborne pollen detection

La polinosis es una de las alergias más comunes en el mundo, condicionando de manera directa la calidad de vida de la población, siendo la polinosis al olivo una de las más frecuentes en zonas de clima Mediterráneo. La previsión de los niveles de polen en la atmósfera se ha convertido en un objetivo fundamental para alergólogos y aerobiólogos, tratando de prevenir los síntomas de la polinosis. Google trends es una herramienta desarrollada por Google, que nos facilita información acerca de la dinámica de búsquedas de los usuarios a través de internet. Como objetivo principal de este trabajo se pretende realizar un valoración preliminar de la utilidad de esta herramienta para detectar la presencia de polen en la atmósfera y para explorar el impacto de polinosis entre la población.Para alcanzar dichos objetivos se han empleado datos aerobiológicos sobre concentración de polen de olivo en la atmósfera de Córdoba (España) y datos sobre tendencias de búsqueda en el buscador Google de las palabras ôAlergiaõ, ôPolenõ y ôOlivoõ. Se ha observado una elevada correlación y relación geográfica entre la tendencia de búsquedas de palabras relacionadas con polinosis y las concentraciones reales de polen atmosférico. Esta herramienta posee una gran potencial en la lucha contra la polinosis, ya que permite conocer información instantánea acerca de los síntomas en la problación, a diferencia de los métodos tradicionales que presentan un desfase de la información. De este modo, el presente trabajo ofrece evidencias acerca del potencial de Google trends para detectar la presencia de aeroalérgenos y para estudiar el impacto de la polinosis...

Pollinosis is one of the most extended allergies in the world, determining directly the quality of life of the population. Airborne pollen forecasting has become a key objective for allergists and aerobiologists trying to prevent the symptoms of hay fever. Google trends is a tool developed by Google, which provides information about the dynamics of user searches through internet. The main aim of this work is to conduct a preliminary assessment of the usefulness of this tool to detect the presence of large concentrations of pollen in the atmosphere and to explore the impact of pollinosis among the population.To achieve these objectives, the analysis is based on data for olive pollen concentrations in the atmosphere of Cordoba (Spain) and search counts in Google of the words "Allergy", "Pollen" and "Olive". We observed a high correlation and a high geographic relationship between the number of searches for words related to pollen allergy, and the actual concentrations of atmospheric pollen. This tool possesses a great potential in the fight against allergy because it can provide instant and on-line information about symptoms in population, unlike traditional methods that have a mismatch of information. Thus, the present study provides evidence about the potential of Google trends to detect the presence of aeroallergens and to study the impact of pollinosis...