Accepted for/Published in: Journal of Medical Internet Research
Date Submitted: Jun 14, 2023
Date Accepted: Mar 23, 2024
Emerging Trends in Information-Seeking Behavior for Alpha-gal Syndrome: Infodemiology Study Using Time Series and Content Analysis
ABSTRACT
Background:
Alpha-gal syndrome is an emerging allergy characterized by an immune reaction to the carbohydrate molecule alpha-gal found in red meat. This unique food allergy is likely triggered by a tick bite. Cases of the allergy are on the rise, but prevalence estimates do not currently exist. Further, varying symptoms and limited awareness of the allergy among healthcare providers contributes to delayed diagnosis, leading individuals to seek out their own information and potentially self-diagnose.
Objective:
Our study objectives were three-fold: 1) to describe the basic volume and patterns of information-seeking related to alpha-gal; 2) explore further correlations between alpha-gal and lone star ticks; and 3) identify specific areas of interest that individuals are searching for in relation to alpha-gal.
Methods:
Google Trends Supercharged-Glimpse is a new extension of Google Trends that provides additional estimates of the absolute volume of searches and a listing of related search queries. This extension was used to assess trends searches for alpha-gal and lone star tick keywords in the United States. Time series analyses examined search volume trends over time, and Spearman's correlation matrices and choropleth maps explored geographic and temporal correlations between alpha-gal and lone star tick searches. Content analysis was performed on related search queries to identify themes and subcategories that are of interest to information seekers.
Results:
Time series analysis revealed an increasing trend in search volumes for alpha-gal. From 2015 to 2022, there was an estimated 627% increase in the expected number of monthly searches for alpha-gal after adjusting for long-term and seasonal trends, as well as media coverage. Geographic analysis showed strong significant correlations between alpha-gal and lone star tick searches over time, with primary overlap in the southeastern region of the United States. Content analysis identified ten themes of primary interest: diet, diagnosis/testing, treatment, medications/contraindications of medications, symptoms, tick-related, specific sources of information and locations, general education information, alternative words for alpha-gal, and unrelated/other.
Conclusions:
The study provides insights into the changing information-seeking patterns for alpha-gal, indicating growing awareness and interest. Understanding specific questions and concerns can help healthcare providers and public health educators to tailor communication strategies. The Google Trends Supercharged-Glimpse tool offers enhanced features for analyzing information-seeking behavior and can be valuable for infodemiology research. Further research is needed to explore the evolving prevalence and impact of alpha-gal allergy.
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Copyright
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