UNDERSTANDING DIETS FROM THE ROOTS: OPPORTUNITIES AND LIMITATIONS IN THE INFODEMIOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF INFORMATION-SEEKING BEHAVIOR REGARDING MACRONUTRIENTS IN THE HUNGARIAN POPULATION
Author(s)
Tekla Kertész, DMD1, Parth Ghotekar, Student1, Dóra Szabó-Kurucz, MSc1, Irena Ilic, MD PhD2, Edit Paulik, MD PhD3, Márió Gajdács, MPH, MSc, PharmD, PhD3.
1University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary, 2University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, 3Department of Public Health, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
1University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary, 2University of Belgrade, Belgrade, Serbia, 3Department of Public Health, University of Szeged, Szeged, Hungary.
OBJECTIVES: Dietary habits, including the adequate intake and distribution of macronutrients, play a definitive role in the prevention of chronic illnesses. Due to its accessibility, the internet has become an increasingly relevant information source for queries on nutritional choices, meal planning, and specialized diets. This infodemiological study aimed to map the temporal trends, seasonal shifts, and structural variations in the information-seeking behavior of the Hungarian population regarding macronutrients.
METHODS: A quantitative, retrospective, observational study was conducted using the Google Trends™ database for the search terms ,,fehérje” (,,protein”), ,,szénhidrát” (,,carbohydrate”), and ,,zsír” (,,fat”). Search intensity data was collected and assessed as raw and corrected relative search volumes (RSVraw and RSVcorr) for the period between 2012.06.01 and 2022.06.01. Statistical analyses (descriptive statistics, parametric tests, time series decomposition, ARIMA modeling) were performed using jamovi 2.4.5 and PAST 4.01 (α: 0.05; 95% confidence interval [CI]).
RESULTS: Throughout the study, ,,fehérje” emerged as the keyword with the highest search intensity, running parallel with the English loanword ,,protein” (parallelism test: p>0.05). In comparison, ,,carbohydrate” and ,,fat” demonstrated 1.47 and 2.57-fold lower intensities, respectively. Significant monotonic trends were identified for all investigated keywords (Mann-Kendall test: p<0.01; ,,protein”: S=-2338; ,,carbohydrate”: S=+1869; ,,fat”: S=+2210). Well-defined recurring seasonal patterns were observed across all terms (p<0.001), characterized by a sharp decline at year-end followed by a steep increase at the beginning of each new year. Qualitatively, top queries related to the keyword "fat" included a high intensity of non-nutritional, confounding search terms alongside relevant dietary expressions.
CONCLUSIONS: The distinct, recurring surge in search intensity at the start of each year may serve as a proxy for the population's motivation toward lifestyle modification. However, the high volume of non-dietary terms linked to homonyms like "fat" underscore key methodological limitations; these semantic confounding factors should be accounted for when leveraging digital epidemiological data.
METHODS: A quantitative, retrospective, observational study was conducted using the Google Trends™ database for the search terms ,,fehérje” (,,protein”), ,,szénhidrát” (,,carbohydrate”), and ,,zsír” (,,fat”). Search intensity data was collected and assessed as raw and corrected relative search volumes (RSVraw and RSVcorr) for the period between 2012.06.01 and 2022.06.01. Statistical analyses (descriptive statistics, parametric tests, time series decomposition, ARIMA modeling) were performed using jamovi 2.4.5 and PAST 4.01 (α: 0.05; 95% confidence interval [CI]).
RESULTS: Throughout the study, ,,fehérje” emerged as the keyword with the highest search intensity, running parallel with the English loanword ,,protein” (parallelism test: p>0.05). In comparison, ,,carbohydrate” and ,,fat” demonstrated 1.47 and 2.57-fold lower intensities, respectively. Significant monotonic trends were identified for all investigated keywords (Mann-Kendall test: p<0.01; ,,protein”: S=-2338; ,,carbohydrate”: S=+1869; ,,fat”: S=+2210). Well-defined recurring seasonal patterns were observed across all terms (p<0.001), characterized by a sharp decline at year-end followed by a steep increase at the beginning of each new year. Qualitatively, top queries related to the keyword "fat" included a high intensity of non-nutritional, confounding search terms alongside relevant dietary expressions.
CONCLUSIONS: The distinct, recurring surge in search intensity at the start of each year may serve as a proxy for the population's motivation toward lifestyle modification. However, the high volume of non-dietary terms linked to homonyms like "fat" underscore key methodological limitations; these semantic confounding factors should be accounted for when leveraging digital epidemiological data.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
PCR59
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health, Health Service Delivery & Process of Care, Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Patient Behavior and Incentives, Patient Engagement
Disease
Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity)