Cancer Internet Search Activity on a Major Search Engine, United States 2001-2003
Journal of Medical Internet ResearchPublished 1 July 2005Open access
Crystale Purvis Cooper, Kenneth P. Mallon, Steven Leadbetter, Lori A. Pollack, Lucy A. Peipins
Citations128
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score1.99
SNIP1.96
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TL;DR
Internet search activity associated with specific cancers correlated with their estimated incidence, estimated mortality, and volume of related news coverage, and Sharp increases in Yahoo! search activity scores from one day to the next appeared to be associated with increases in relevant news coverage.
Abstract
Media coverage appears to play a powerful role in prompting online searches for cancer information. Internet search activity offers an innovative tool for passive surveillance of health information-seeking behavior.
Keywords
Social SciencesMedicineHealth Professions
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