ArticleScientific reports2021
Exploring the use of web searches for risk communication during COVID-19 in Germany.
Article in Scientific reports, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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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.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Public information needs and preferences on COVID-19: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Forecasting and Surveillance of COVID-19 Spread Using Google Trends: Literature Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Review
- From science to politics: COVID-19 information fatigue on YouTube.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Information Retrieval in an Infodemic: The Case of COVID-19 Publications.Journal of medical Internet research · 2021Article
- Classifications, Changes, and Challenges of Online Health Information Seekers during COVID-19.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Risk communication during pandemics is an element of utmost importance. Understanding the level of public attention-a prerequisite for effective communication-implicates expensive and time-consuming surveys. We hypothesise that the relative search volume from Google Trends could be used as an indicator of public attention of a disease and its prevention measures. The search terms 'RKI' (Robert Koch Institute, national public health authority in Germany), 'corona' and 'protective mask' in German language were shortlisted. Cross-correlations between these terms and the reported cases from 15 February to 27 April were conducted for each German federal state. The findings were contrasted against a timeline of official communications concerning COVID-19. The highest correlations of the term 'RKI' with reported COVID-19 cases were found between lags of - 2 and - 12 days, meaning web searches were already performed from 2 to 12 days before case numbers increased. A similar pattern was seen for the term 'corona'. Cross-correlations indicated that most searches on 'protective mask' were performed from 6 to 12 days after the peak of cases. The results for the term 'protective mask' indicate a degree of confusion in the population. This is supported by conflicting recommendations to wear face masks during the first wave. The relative search volumes could be a useful tool to provide timely and location-specific information on public attention for risk communication.
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