JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

The efficacy of mammography screening for breast cancer is established, and it is essential to understand the public’s awareness and behavior regarding screening.

Objective:

This study aimed to elucidate the relationship between public awareness of breast cancer screening and screening participation behavior using Internet search volume.

Methods:

This time-series study evaluated the association between Internet search volume and breast cancer screening participation behavior among women aged 60–69 years in Japan from 2009 to 2019. Relative search volume (RSV) data for the search term "breast cancer screening (nyuugan-kenshin)" were extracted from Google Trends as Internet search volume. Participation rates for breast cancer screening and further assessment were based on government municipal screening data. Joinpoint regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the time trends.

Results:

The analyses identified two significant joinpoints in RSVs: an increase in December 2013 and a decrease in June 2017. RSVs also showed spikes in September 2015, June 2016, and June 2017, consistent with the dates of the Japanese celebrities’ breast cancer media reports. There was an increase in participation rates in 2015, but it was not sustained.

Conclusions:

This study found a notable association between Internet search activity and celebrity cancer media reports and a temporal association with screening participation in breast cancer screening in Japan. Celebrity cancer media reports triggered Internet searches for cancer screening, but this did not lead to long-term changes in screening participation behavior. This finding suggests what information needs to be provided to citizens to encourage participation in screening.