Information Seeking Behaviour of the Hungarian Population Regarding Antibiotics and Common Infectious Ailments: An Infodemiological and Thematic Analysis Using Google TRENDSTM

OBJECTIVES: The emergence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious threat to healthcare institutions worldwide, which is facilitated by the inappropriate use of antibiotics, including their misuse and non-prescription procurement. To educate the general public regarding the dangers of AMR, many international campaigns – including the European Antibiotic Awareness Day and World Antibiotic Awareness Week– were initiated. The aim of this infodemiological study was to assess antibiotic-related Internet queries from Hungary, and to identify possible associations between information seeking behaviour and various epidemiological indicators.

METHODS: Qualitative and quantitative data for queries about antibiotics were extracted from the Google Trends^TM analysis tool for the time-period between 2010.01.01-2020.12.31. Search intensity data were also collected for colloquial Hungarian keywords for infectious ailments. Search intensity was expressed as relative search volume (RSV), a normalized score ranging between 0-100. Parametric tests were performed by IBM SPSS Statistics 22.0.

RESULTS: Search intensity for antibiotic-related information showed significant growth between 2010 and 2020, even when controlled for the increased number of Internet users (26.16±4.81 vs. 43.28±9.91; p<0.001); well-defined cyclicity and seasonality was discovered for antibiotic-related RSV values. Educational campaigns on AMR had no considerable effect on antibiotic-related search intensity (before: 66.59±15.49 vs. after: 67.91±14.07; p>0.05). The most common related queries were “antibiotic and alcohol” (RSV: 72-100), “antibiotic and contraceptive” (RSV: 43-82) and “antibiotic side effects” (RSV: 39-82). Information seeking for antibiotics showed strong positive correlations with search intensity for flu (r=0.594), sore throat (r=0.644), cough (r=0.707) and probiotics (r=0.812) (p<0.001 in all cases), while no significant correlation was seen with the reported consumption of antibiotics in Hungary (r<0.2, p>0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: Online sources are becoming increasingly relevant sources of health-related information for the public, due to their quick and easy accessibility. Infodemiological analysis of antibiotic-related Internet queries may be a valuable source of information on collective health utilization trends.