Spatiotemporal dynamic and regional differences of public attention to vaccination: An empirical study in China.

<h4>Background</h4>Internet searches offer an indicator of public attention and possible demand for certain things. Studying the spatiotemporal characteristics of the public's concern for vaccination can determine the spatiotemporal distribution of demand for vaccines in China, and...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yaming Zhang, Xiaoyu Guo, Yanyuan Su
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2024-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312488
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1841555483410825216
author Yaming Zhang
Xiaoyu Guo
Yanyuan Su
author_facet Yaming Zhang
Xiaoyu Guo
Yanyuan Su
author_sort Yaming Zhang
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Background</h4>Internet searches offer an indicator of public attention and possible demand for certain things. Studying the spatiotemporal characteristics of the public's concern for vaccination can determine the spatiotemporal distribution of demand for vaccines in China, and capture the changes in the health awareness of the Chinese population, thus informing future vaccination strategies.<h4>Methods</h4>Based on the collection of Baidu search indices for vaccination-related keywords in 363 cities in China, This paper seeks to explore the spatiotemporal changes and regional differences in public attention toward vaccination in China by using the seasonal index, seasonal concentration index, Herfindahl index, Moran index, and Dagum Gini coefficient.<h4>Results</h4>The following findings are presented. First, there are significant seasonal fluctuations and unbalanced monthly distributions of vaccination-related public attention in China. Second, the public attention in Chinese cities shows the spatial characteristics of "leading in the east, followed by the central, western and northeastern regions". The spatial correlation of attention has been strengthened, and the high-high clusters are mainly distributed in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Greater Bay Area (GBA) urban agglomerations. Third, regional differences in overall public attention narrowed in China, with intra-regional differences narrowing in seven regions (Northwest China, Central China, and so on), and intra-regional differences increasing in East China. The dominant role in the Gini coefficient changes from transvariation intensity to inter-regional differences.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Major public health emergencies stimulate the public's attention to health topics. Although the short-term increase in vaccination-related public attention was not observed to translate into a long-term increase in public vaccine literacy, the seasonal and regional differences in vaccination-related public attention in China have significantly narrowed before and after COVID-19, suggesting that the imbalance between public health literacy levels has improved.
format Article
id doaj-art-b660744d447741b39584ca94d3f145d9
institution Kabale University
issn 1932-6203
language English
publishDate 2024-01-01
publisher Public Library of Science (PLoS)
record_format Article
series PLoS ONE
spelling doaj-art-b660744d447741b39584ca94d3f145d92025-01-08T05:32:37ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032024-01-011912e031248810.1371/journal.pone.0312488Spatiotemporal dynamic and regional differences of public attention to vaccination: An empirical study in China.Yaming ZhangXiaoyu GuoYanyuan Su<h4>Background</h4>Internet searches offer an indicator of public attention and possible demand for certain things. Studying the spatiotemporal characteristics of the public's concern for vaccination can determine the spatiotemporal distribution of demand for vaccines in China, and capture the changes in the health awareness of the Chinese population, thus informing future vaccination strategies.<h4>Methods</h4>Based on the collection of Baidu search indices for vaccination-related keywords in 363 cities in China, This paper seeks to explore the spatiotemporal changes and regional differences in public attention toward vaccination in China by using the seasonal index, seasonal concentration index, Herfindahl index, Moran index, and Dagum Gini coefficient.<h4>Results</h4>The following findings are presented. First, there are significant seasonal fluctuations and unbalanced monthly distributions of vaccination-related public attention in China. Second, the public attention in Chinese cities shows the spatial characteristics of "leading in the east, followed by the central, western and northeastern regions". The spatial correlation of attention has been strengthened, and the high-high clusters are mainly distributed in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Greater Bay Area (GBA) urban agglomerations. Third, regional differences in overall public attention narrowed in China, with intra-regional differences narrowing in seven regions (Northwest China, Central China, and so on), and intra-regional differences increasing in East China. The dominant role in the Gini coefficient changes from transvariation intensity to inter-regional differences.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Major public health emergencies stimulate the public's attention to health topics. Although the short-term increase in vaccination-related public attention was not observed to translate into a long-term increase in public vaccine literacy, the seasonal and regional differences in vaccination-related public attention in China have significantly narrowed before and after COVID-19, suggesting that the imbalance between public health literacy levels has improved.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312488
spellingShingle Yaming Zhang
Xiaoyu Guo
Yanyuan Su
Spatiotemporal dynamic and regional differences of public attention to vaccination: An empirical study in China.
PLoS ONE
title Spatiotemporal dynamic and regional differences of public attention to vaccination: An empirical study in China.
title_full Spatiotemporal dynamic and regional differences of public attention to vaccination: An empirical study in China.
title_fullStr Spatiotemporal dynamic and regional differences of public attention to vaccination: An empirical study in China.
title_full_unstemmed Spatiotemporal dynamic and regional differences of public attention to vaccination: An empirical study in China.
title_short Spatiotemporal dynamic and regional differences of public attention to vaccination: An empirical study in China.
title_sort spatiotemporal dynamic and regional differences of public attention to vaccination an empirical study in china
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312488
work_keys_str_mv AT yamingzhang spatiotemporaldynamicandregionaldifferencesofpublicattentiontovaccinationanempiricalstudyinchina
AT xiaoyuguo spatiotemporaldynamicandregionaldifferencesofpublicattentiontovaccinationanempiricalstudyinchina
AT yanyuansu spatiotemporaldynamicandregionaldifferencesofpublicattentiontovaccinationanempiricalstudyinchina