Online health information-seeking behaviours for low back pain in the United Kingdom: analysis of data from Google trends and the Global Burden of Disease Study, 2004-2019.
Int Health
; 2024 Feb 23.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38391366
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of global disability. Timely health-seeking is crucial for early diagnosis and management of pathologies. Despite increases in internet usage, there is sparse literature regarding online health information-seeking behaviours (OHISBs) for LBP and how they correlate with the LBP disease burden in the UK.METHODS:
To examine OHISB trends, we conducted Prais-Winsten analyses on monthly search volume data from Google Trends in the UK between 1 January 2004 and 1 December 2019. Cross-correlation analyses assessed the relationship between annual LBP search volume and LBP morbidity and mortality data from the Global Burden of Disease study (2004-2019).RESULTS:
From 2004 to 2019, the trend in LBP search volume was curvilinear (ß=1.27, t=5.00, p<0.001), with a slope change around the end of 2006. There was a negative linear trend (ß=-0.25, t35=-1.52, p<0.14) from 2004 to 2006 and a positive linear trend (ß=0.67, t108=9.17, p<0.001) from 2007 to 2019. Cross-correlations revealed positive associations between search volume and disease burden indicators for LBP such as prevalence and incidence at lags 4 and 5.CONCLUSIONS:
A rising trend in OHISBs for LBP was noted between 2004 and 2019. This trend positively correlates with incidence, prevalence and burden measures. These findings emphasise the importance of high-quality online resources to increase awareness around LBP, facilitating early diagnosis and management.
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Bases de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int Health
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Reino Unido