Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33738168›Full record

ArticleCureus2021

Using Google Trends and Twitter for Prostate Cancer Awareness: A Comparative Analysis of Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Bradley S Johnson, Samuel Shepard, Trevor Torgeson, Austin Johnson, Megan McMurray, Matt Vassar

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
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  5. Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Bradley S JohnsonOffice of Medical Student Research, Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tulsa, USA.
Samuel ShepardOffice of Medical Student Research, Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tulsa, USA.
Trevor TorgesonOffice of Medical Student Research, Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tulsa, USA.
Austin JohnsonOffice of Medical Student Research, Oklahoma State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tulsa, USA.
Megan McMurrayDepartment of Urology, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, USA.
Matt VassarDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Oklahoma State University Center of Health Sciences, Tulsa, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background We evaluated (1) whether the public interest in prostate cancer and prostate cancer screening increased following Prostate Cancer Awareness Month (PCAM) and (2) whether PCAM was as effective as Breast Cancer Awareness Month (BCAM) at generating public interest. Methods  Using Google Trends, we measured search volume in PCAM and BCAM. We used the search volume in Google Trends as a proxy for changes in public interest from January 01, 2009 to December 31, 2018 worldwide, including the specific keywords: "Prostate Cancer"; "Prostate-Specific Antigen"; "Prostate Cancer Screening"; "Prostate Cancer Management"; "Breast Cancer"; "Breast Cancer Screening"; "Mammography"; and "Breast Cancer Management". Also, we measured tweets containing "prostate cancer" and "breast cancer". We used an autoregressive integrated moving algorithm (ARIMA) to forecast expected weekly search volumes during PCAM and BCAM. We then compared the Google Trends data from during PCAM and BCAM to the forecasted values and determined a "greater than expected" range. Results The mean pooled percent increase in tweets associated with "prostate cancer" during PCAM from 2012 through 2018 was 15.9% (95% CI, -1% - 33%). The mean pooled percent increase in tweets associated with "breast cancer" during BCAM from 2012 through 2018 was 318.5% (95% CI, 268% - 369%). BCAM was associated with a 302.6% greater effect on increasing tweets referencing the disease of interest than PCAM from 2012-2018. "Breast cancer" Google searches were found to be 36.7% (95% CI, 34% - 39%) more frequent than "prostate cancer" per month from 2009-2019. Google Searches for "breast cancer screening" were 29.6% (95% CI, 28% - 31%) greater than "prostate cancer screening". Conclusions Our results indicate that PCAM is not generating substantial internet interest, especially when compared to BCAM. The search volume for Google Trends search terms related to PCAM was less than BCAM in every comparison, and Twitter indicated only a slight increase of Tweets during the month of PCAM. Suggestions are provided to improve the effect of PCAM and men's health.

Indexed as

breast cancer awarenessgoogle trendsprostate cancer awareness

Identifiers

PMID33738168
PMCPMC7958554

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.