ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC INTEREST ABOUT OSTEOPOROSIS USING GOOGLE TRENDS: ARE SEASON AND ECONOMY EFFECTIVE?

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study was to assess the awareness of the USA and world population about osteoporosis, taking into account seasonal variations and economic conditions.

Methods: The term "osteoporosis" was searched using Google Trends between January 1, 2004 and September 12, 2024. Cosinor analysis was used to test the effect of seasonality on relative search volumes (RSV) for osteoporosis searches in the USA and worldwide. LOESS (Locally Estimated Scatterplot Smoothing) was used to decompose a time series into its seasonal component, trend component, and residual component. We also analysed RSV values in US states according to income levels.

Results: It is seen that RSV values in the USA and the world have been in a decreasing trend from 2004 to 2014, but after 2015, they have been in an increasing trend. According to the results of the cosinor analysis, RSV values in the US and worldwide are highest in the fall months and lowest in the summer months. Significant differences were found in search trends between seasons in both the US and the world (p<0.05). There is no statistically significant difference in RSV values by income level worldwide and in the USA (p>0.05).

Conclusion: Osteoporosis appears to be a global health problem and a major focus of attention, both in the US and around the world. Health strategies to increase osteoporosis awareness can be planned to address different income groups, taking into account regional and seasonal effects.