Google Trends in Infodemiology and Infoveillance: Methodology Framework
Google Trends in Infodemiology and Infoveillance: Methodology Framework
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DOI：
10.2196/13439
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发表时间：
2019-04-01
影响因子：
8.5
通讯作者：
Ochoa, Gabriela
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Mavragani, Amaryllis;Ochoa, Gabriela
互联网数据越来越多地融入健康信息学研究，并成为探索人类行为的有用工具。用于检查在线行为的最流行的工具是 Google Trends，这是一种开放工具，可提供有关趋势以及所选关键字和主题的在线兴趣随时间变化的信息。谷歌的在线搜索流量数据已被证明有助于分析人类对健康主题的行为以及预测疾病的发生和爆发。尽管过去十年进行了大量的谷歌趋势研究，但有关该主题的文献缺乏具体的方法框架。本文旨在概述该工具和数据，并提出在信息流行病学和信息监视中使用 Google 趋势的第一个方法框架，包括为建立强大的方法基础而需要考虑的主要因素。我们提供了使用 Google 趋势时需要遵循的方法的分步指南，以及在该研究领域获得有效结果所需的基本方面。首先，概述工具和数据，然后分析确保结果有效性的关键方法论点，包括选择适当的关键词、地区、时期和类别。总的来说，本文提出并分析了为使用谷歌趋势数据奠定坚实的方法论基础所需考虑的关键点，这对于确保结果的价值和有效性至关重要，因为在线查询分析已广泛融入大数据时代的健康研究中。
Internet data are being increasingly integrated into health informatics research and are becoming a useful tool for exploring human behavior. The most popular tool for examining online behavior is Google Trends, an open tool that provides information on trends and the variations of online interest in selected keywords and topics over time. Online search traffic data from Google have been shown to be useful in analyzing human behavior toward health topics and in predicting disease occurrence and outbreaks. Despite the large number of Google Trends studies during the last decade, the literature on the subject lacks a specific methodology framework. This article aims at providing an overview of the tool and data and at presenting the first methodology framework in using Google Trends in infodemiology and infoveillance, including the main factors that need to be taken into account for a strong methodology base. We provide a step-by-step guide for the methodology that needs to be followed when using Google Trends and the essential aspects required for valid results in this line of research. At first, an overview of the tool and the data are presented, followed by an analysis of the key methodological points for ensuring the validity of the results, which include selecting the appropriate keyword(s), region(s), period, and category. Overall, this article presents and analyzes the key points that need to be considered to achieve a strong methodological basis for using Google Trends data, which is crucial for ensuring the value and validity of the results, as the analysis of online queries is extensively integrated in health research in the big data era.