Temporal trends in online searches related to COVID-19 vaccine safety: A digital infodemiology study

Background: The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines may have raised public concerns about their safety and side effects in the United States (US). This study aimed to assess trends in online searches related to the safety and side effects of COVID-19 vaccines in the US from 2021-2022. Methods: Go...

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Main Authors: Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula, Theodoros Daglis, Vijay Kumar Chattu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Tabriz University of Medical Sciences 2024-10-01
Series:Health Promotion Perspectives
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hpp.tbzmed.ac.ir/PDF/hpp-14-304.pdf
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author Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula
Theodoros Daglis
Vijay Kumar Chattu
author_facet Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula
Theodoros Daglis
Vijay Kumar Chattu
author_sort Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula
collection DOAJ
description Background: The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines may have raised public concerns about their safety and side effects in the United States (US). This study aimed to assess trends in online searches related to the safety and side effects of COVID-19 vaccines in the US from 2021-2022. Methods: Google COVID-19 Vaccination Search Insights was used to analyze searches about COVID-19 vaccine safety and side effects in the US from January 4, 2021, to November 21, 2022 (98 weeks). Data were scaled from 0 (low interest) to 100 (high interest) as a fixed scaling factor called scaled normalized interest (SNI) to indicate relative search interest over time and by location. A joinpoint regression analysis was used to determine the search trends during the study period. Results: Analysis included 709 counties across 38 US states. Searches of COVID-19 vaccine safety and side effects peaked in April 2021 in the District of Columbia (SNI: 35.8), Massachusetts (29.7), New Hampshire (27.4), Connecticut (27.3), and Maine (26.7), then decreased significantly by an average monthly percentage change (AMPC) of -16.6% (95% CI -19.9 to -13.3) until July 2022. Overall AMPC from January 2021 to November 2022 was -8.9% (95% CI -16.2 to -0.9; P<0.001). Conclusion: Online searches related to COVID-19 vaccine safety and side effects decreased dramatically over time, supporting the utility of digital surveillance to track real-time vaccine safety concerns. This study provides insights into public interest in COVID-19 vaccine risks and can help monitor potential safety issues.
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spelling doaj-art-9b3eda0f32dc46f5b01e184bd6a7e3362025-08-20T02:48:11ZengTabriz University of Medical SciencesHealth Promotion Perspectives2228-64972024-10-0114330431110.34172/hpp.43117hpp-43117Temporal trends in online searches related to COVID-19 vaccine safety: A digital infodemiology studyAkshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula0Theodoros Daglis1Vijay Kumar Chattu2Department of Public Health, College of Health and Human Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, USAUniversity of the Aegean, 841 00 Syros, Greece; Agricultural University of Athens, 118 55 Athens, Greece; Technical University of Crete, 731 00 Chania, GreeceCenter for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences (SIMATS), Saveetha University, Chennai, IndiaBackground: The rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines may have raised public concerns about their safety and side effects in the United States (US). This study aimed to assess trends in online searches related to the safety and side effects of COVID-19 vaccines in the US from 2021-2022. Methods: Google COVID-19 Vaccination Search Insights was used to analyze searches about COVID-19 vaccine safety and side effects in the US from January 4, 2021, to November 21, 2022 (98 weeks). Data were scaled from 0 (low interest) to 100 (high interest) as a fixed scaling factor called scaled normalized interest (SNI) to indicate relative search interest over time and by location. A joinpoint regression analysis was used to determine the search trends during the study period. Results: Analysis included 709 counties across 38 US states. Searches of COVID-19 vaccine safety and side effects peaked in April 2021 in the District of Columbia (SNI: 35.8), Massachusetts (29.7), New Hampshire (27.4), Connecticut (27.3), and Maine (26.7), then decreased significantly by an average monthly percentage change (AMPC) of -16.6% (95% CI -19.9 to -13.3) until July 2022. Overall AMPC from January 2021 to November 2022 was -8.9% (95% CI -16.2 to -0.9; P<0.001). Conclusion: Online searches related to COVID-19 vaccine safety and side effects decreased dramatically over time, supporting the utility of digital surveillance to track real-time vaccine safety concerns. This study provides insights into public interest in COVID-19 vaccine risks and can help monitor potential safety issues.https://hpp.tbzmed.ac.ir/PDF/hpp-14-304.pdfadverse effectsartificial intelligencebig datacovid-19 vaccinesepidemiologyhealth behaviorhumaninternetpublic healthunited states
spellingShingle Akshaya Srikanth Bhagavathula
Theodoros Daglis
Vijay Kumar Chattu
Temporal trends in online searches related to COVID-19 vaccine safety: A digital infodemiology study
Health Promotion Perspectives
adverse effects
artificial intelligence
big data
covid-19 vaccines
epidemiology
health behavior
human
internet
public health
united states
title Temporal trends in online searches related to COVID-19 vaccine safety: A digital infodemiology study
title_full Temporal trends in online searches related to COVID-19 vaccine safety: A digital infodemiology study
title_fullStr Temporal trends in online searches related to COVID-19 vaccine safety: A digital infodemiology study
title_full_unstemmed Temporal trends in online searches related to COVID-19 vaccine safety: A digital infodemiology study
title_short Temporal trends in online searches related to COVID-19 vaccine safety: A digital infodemiology study
title_sort temporal trends in online searches related to covid 19 vaccine safety a digital infodemiology study
topic adverse effects
artificial intelligence
big data
covid-19 vaccines
epidemiology
health behavior
human
internet
public health
united states
url https://hpp.tbzmed.ac.ir/PDF/hpp-14-304.pdf
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AT vijaykumarchattu temporaltrendsinonlinesearchesrelatedtocovid19vaccinesafetyadigitalinfodemiologystudy