背景:乳腺癌是全世界女性中最常见的癌症。高收入国家的乳腺癌发病率和死亡率高于低收入国家。因此,提高对乳腺癌的认识对于增加早期发现和治疗的机会至关重要。社交媒体已经发展成为乳腺癌宣传月活动的重要工具,让人们分享他们的乳腺癌故事和经验,同时也提供了一个教育和支持的场所。
目的:这项研究的目的是评估2012年至2022年互联网用户群相当大的高收入国家样本中与乳腺癌相关的搜索的公众兴趣水平。我们还试图比较乳腺癌宣传月与一年中其他月份乳腺癌的比例搜索量。
方法:Google趋势用于检索2012年至2022年乳腺癌背景下互联网用户搜索行为的数据。在这项研究中评估了七个国家:澳大利亚,加拿大,爱尔兰,新西兰,联合王国,沙特阿拉伯,和美国,除了全球数据。每年分析乳腺癌相对搜索量趋势,每月,每周从2012年到2022年。计算了每个国家和全球的年度百分比变化(APC)。每月和每周的数据被用来确定潜在的趋势。
结果:观察到APC速率的波动模式,2018年显著增加,2020年显著减少,特别是在沙特阿拉伯。每月分析显示,每年10月(乳腺癌意识月)的搜索量达到一致的峰值。20年期间的每周趋势表明澳大利亚大幅下降,加拿大,新西兰,和美国,而爱尔兰则注意到增长。Heatmap分析进一步强调了10月份所有国家中值搜索量的一致上升。
结论:这些发现强调了乳腺癌宣传月的影响,并暗示了2020年政府COVID-19大流行控制措施对互联网搜索行为的潜在影响。
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide. High-income countries have a greater incidence and mortality rate of breast cancer than low-income countries. As a result, raising awareness about breast cancer is crucial in increasing the chances of early detection and treatment. Social media has evolved into an essential tool for Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaigns, allowing people to share their breast cancer stories and experiences while also providing a venue for education and support.
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the level of public interest in searches linked to breast cancer among a sample of high-income nations with a sizable internet user base from 2012 to 2022. We also sought to compare the proportional search volume for breast cancer during Breast Cancer Awareness Month with that during other months of the year.
METHODS: Google Trends was used to retrieve data on internet user search behaviors in the context of breast cancer from 2012 to 2022. Seven countries were evaluated in this study: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and the United States, in addition to global data. Breast cancer relative search volume trends were analyzed annually, monthly, and weekly from 2012 to 2022. The annual percent change (APC) was calculated for each country and worldwide. Monthly and weekly data were used to identify potential trends.
RESULTS: A fluctuating pattern in APC rates was observed, with a notable increase in 2018 and a significant decrease in 2020, particularly in Saudi Arabia. Monthly analysis revealed a consistent peak in search volume during October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month) each year. Weekly trends over a 20-year period indicated significant decreases in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States, while increases were noted in Ireland. Heatmap analysis further highlighted a consistent elevation in median search volume during October across all countries.
CONCLUSIONS: These findings underscore the impact of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and suggest potential influences of governmental COVID-19 pandemic control measures in 2020 on internet search behavior.