Online Health Information Seeking for Low Back Pain in the UK
Author Information
Author(s): Harpal Patel, Thomas A. Shepherd
Primary Institution: Keele University
Hypothesis
Are online health information-seeking behaviors for low back pain correlated with disease burden indicators in the UK?
Conclusion
There is a rising trend in online health information-seeking behaviors for low back pain, which positively correlates with incidence and prevalence measures.
Supporting Evidence
- Low back pain is a leading cause of global disability.
- Online health information-seeking behaviors have increased significantly from 2004 to 2019.
- Search volume for low back pain positively correlates with disease burden indicators.
Takeaway
More people are looking for information about back pain online, and this is linked to how many people actually have back pain.
Methodology
Prais–Winsten analyses on Google Trends data and cross-correlation analyses with Global Burden of Disease data.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to reliance on internet usage data, which may not reflect all demographics.
Limitations
The exact data collection methods for Google Trends are unknown, and the study may not represent populations without internet access.
Participant Demographics
The study included a sample of 15,272 adults in the UK, with higher prevalence in those aged 41-50.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.001
Confidence Interval
95%
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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