The impact of nationwide alcohol ban during the COVID-19 lockdown on alcohol use-related internet searches and behaviour in India: An infodemiology study.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Singh S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7675718 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:BackgroundLockdown is one of the prevalent tools that are used to control the spread of COVID-19 virus in India. Under the circumstances created during lockdown period, children are deprived from the social interaction and companionship; because of which, they are susceptible to psychiatric disorders. Therefore, in this study, efforts were to understand the impacts of lockdown on the mental status of the children of India and their specific causes.Study designIt is a questionnaire-based study.MethodsA web-based questionnaire was prepared, and 400 parents from four districts of Punjab, India, namely, Ludhiana, Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar, Sangrur and Ferozepur, were telephonically interviewed. Further, the information collected from the interviews was statistically analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software.ResultsFindings from this study revealed that 73.15% and 51.25% of the children were having signs of increased irritation and anger, respectively; 18.7% and 17.6% of the parents also mentioned the symptoms of depression and anxiety, respectively, among their children, which were also augmented by the changes in their diet, sleep, weight and more usage of the electronic equipment. Children (~76.3%) persistently urge to go outdoors and play with their friends; therefore, they could lag in social development. Further, observations from Pearson's correlation revealed that during lockdown, children's mental health is significantly related to the area of their house, number of children in the family, qualification of their mother and socio-economic status of their family.ConclusionsThis study made it evident that the mental health of the children residing in Punjab, India, was compromised during the lockdown period induced by the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings of this study may also trigger the international authorities to frame the guidelines of lockdown in the interest of mental health of their native children.
| S-EPMC7675304 | biostudies-literature
Project description:There has been an exponential growth of information seeking behaviour (ISB) via Internet-based programs over the past decade. The availability of software that record ISB temporal patterns has provided a valuable opportunity to examine biological rhythms in human behaviour. Internet search repositories, such as Google Trends, permit the analyses of large datasets that can be used to track ISB on a domestic and international scale. We examined daily and seasonal Google Trends search patterns for keywords related to food intake, using the most relevant search terms for the USA, UK, Canada, India and Australia. Daily and seasonal ISB rhythmicity were analysed using CircWave v. 1.4. Daily ISB data revealed a robust and significant sine waveform for general terms (e.g. 'pizza delivery') and country-specific search terms (e.g. 'just eat'). The pattern revealed clear evening double-peaks, occurring every day at 19.00 and 02.00. The patterns were consistent across search terms, days of the week and geographical locations, suggesting a common ISB rhythm that is not necessarily culture-dependent. Then, we conducted Cosinor v. 2.4 analyses to examine the daily amplitudes in ISB. The results indicated a non-significant linear increased from Monday to Sunday. Seasonal data did not show consistent significant ISB patterns. It is likely that two different human populations are responsible for the daily 'early' and 'late' evening ISB peaks. We propose that the major factor that contributes to the bimodal evening peak is age-dependent (e.g. adolescent, early adulthood versus midlife and mature adulthood) and a minor role for human chronotypes (e.g. late versus early). Overall, we present novel human appetitive behaviour for information seeking of food resources and propose that Internet-based search patterns reflect a biological rhythm of motivation for energy balance.
| S-EPMC6083665 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Traditional methods using print media and commercial firms for clinician recruiting are often limited by cost, slow pace, and suboptimal results. An efficient and fiscally sound approach is needed for searching online to recruit clinicians. OBJECTIVE:The aim of the study was to assess the Web-based methods by which clinicians might be searching for jobs in a broad range of specialties and how academic medical centers can advertise clinical job openings to prominently appear on internet searches that would yield the greatest return on investment. METHODS:We used a search engine (Google) to identify 8 query terms for each of the specialties and specialists (eg, dermatology and dermatologist) to determine internet job search methodologies for 12 clinical disciplines. Searches were conducted, and the data used for analysis were the first 20 results. RESULTS:In total, 176 searches were conducted at varying times over the course of several months, and 3520 results were recorded. The following 4 types of websites appeared in the top 10 search results across all specialties searched, accounting for 52.27% (920/1760) of the results: (1) a single no-cost job aggregator (229/1760, 13.01%); (2) 2 prominent journal-based paid digital job listing services (157/1760, 8.92% and 91/1760, 5.17%, respectively); (3) a fee-based Web-based agency (137/1760, 7.78%) offering candidate profiles; and (4) society-based paid advertisements (totaling 306/1760, 17.38%). These sites accounted for 75.45% (664/880) of results limited to the top 5 results. Repetitive short-term testing yielded similar results with minor changes in the rank order. CONCLUSIONS:On the basis of our findings, we offer a specific financially prudent internet strategy for both clinicians searching the internet for employment and employers hiring clinicians in academic medical centers.
| S-EPMC6640069 | biostudies-other
Project description:BackgroundAlthough "infodemiological" methods have been used in research on coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an examination of the extent of infodemic moniker (misinformation) use on the internet remains limited.ObjectiveThe aim of this paper is to investigate internet search behaviors related to COVID-19 and examine the circulation of infodemic monikers through two platforms-Google and Instagram-during the current global pandemic.MethodsWe have defined infodemic moniker as a term, query, hashtag, or phrase that generates or feeds fake news, misinterpretations, or discriminatory phenomena. Using Google Trends and Instagram hashtags, we explored internet search activities and behaviors related to the COVID-19 pandemic from February 20, 2020, to May 6, 2020. We investigated the names used to identify the virus, health and risk perception, life during the lockdown, and information related to the adoption of COVID-19 infodemic monikers. We computed the average peak volume with a 95% CI for the monikers.ResultsThe top six COVID-19-related terms searched in Google were "coronavirus," "corona," "COVID," "virus," "corona virus," and "COVID-19." Countries with a higher number of COVID-19 cases had a higher number of COVID-19 queries on Google. The monikers "coronavirus ozone," "coronavirus laboratory," "coronavirus 5G," "coronavirus conspiracy," and "coronavirus bill gates" were widely circulated on the internet. Searches on "tips and cures" for COVID-19 spiked in relation to the US president speculating about a "miracle cure" and suggesting an injection of disinfectant to treat the virus. Around two thirds (n=48,700,000, 66.1%) of Instagram users used the hashtags "COVID-19" and "coronavirus" to disperse virus-related information.ConclusionsGlobally, there is a growing interest in COVID-19, and numerous infodemic monikers continue to circulate on the internet. Based on our findings, we hope to encourage mass media regulators and health organizers to be vigilant and diminish the use and circulation of these infodemic monikers to decrease the spread of misinformation.
| S-EPMC7458585 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:The internet has become an important source of health information for users worldwide. The novel coronavirus caused a pandemic search for information with broad dissemination of false or misleading health information. OBJECTIVE:The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and readability of online information about the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which was a trending topic on the internet, using validated instruments and relating the quality of information to its readability. METHODS:The search was based on the term "Wuhan Coronavirus" on the Google website (February 6, 2020). At the search time, the terms "COVID-19" or "SARS-CoV-2" (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) did not exist. Critical analysis was performed on the first 110 hits using the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode), the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark, the DISCERN instrument, and Google ranking. RESULTS:The first 110 websites were critically analyzed, and only 1.8% (n=2) of the websites had the HONcode seal. The JAMA benchmark showed that 39.1% (n=43) of the websites did not have any of the categories required by this tool, and only 10.0% (11/110) of the websites had the four quality criteria required by JAMA. The DISCERN score showed that 70.0% (n=77) of the websites were evaluated as having a low score and none were rated as having a high score. CONCLUSIONS:Nonhealth personnel and the scientific community need to be aware about the quality of the information they read and produce, respectively. The Wuhan coronavirus health crisis misinformation was produced by the media, and the misinformation was obtained by users from the internet. The use of the internet has a risk to public health, and, in cases like this, the governments should be developing strategies to regulate health information on the internet without censuring the population. By February 6, 2020, no quality information was available on the internet about COVID-19.
| S-EPMC7147328 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease that threatens over half of the world's population. Despite being endemic to more than 100 countries, government-led efforts and tools for timely identification and tracking of new infections are still lacking in many affected areas. Multiple methodologies that leverage the use of Internet-based data sources have been proposed as a way to complement dengue surveillance efforts. Among these, dengue-related Google search trends have been shown to correlate with dengue activity. We extend a methodological framework, initially proposed and validated for flu surveillance, to produce near real-time estimates of dengue cases in five countries/states: Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, Singapore and Taiwan. Our result shows that our modeling framework can be used to improve the tracking of dengue activity in multiple locations around the world.
| S-EPMC5519005 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Although Internet-delivered cognitive behaviour therapy (ICBT) for alcohol misuse is efficacious in research trials, it is not routinely available in practice. Moreover, there is considerable variability in engagement and outcomes of ICBT for alcohol misuse across studies. The Alcohol Change Course (ACC) is an ICBT program that is offered free of charge by an online clinic in Saskatchewan, Canada, which seeks to fill this service gap, while also conducting research to direct future improvements of ICBT. As there is limited qualitative patient-oriented research designed to improve ICBT for alcohol misuse, in this study, we describe patient perceptions of the ACC post-treatment. Specifically, post-treatment feedback was obtained from 191 of 312 patients who enrolled in the ACC. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to examine post-treatment written comments related to what patients liked and disliked about the course, which skills were most helpful for them, and their suggestions for future patients. The majority of patients endorsed being very satisfied or satisfied with the course (n = 133, 69.6%) and 94.2% (n = 180) perceived the course as being worth their time. Worksheets (n = 61, 31.9%) and reflections of others (n = 40, 20.9%) received the most praise. Coping with cravings (n = 63, 33.0%), and identifying and managing risky situations (n = 46, 24.1%) were reported as the most helpful skills. Several suggestions for refining the course were provided with the most frequent recommendation being a desire for increased personal interaction (n = 24, 12.6%) followed by a desire for wanting more information (n = 22, 11.5%). Many patients offered advice for future ACC patients, including suggestions to make a commitment (n = 47, 24.6%), do all of the work (n = 29, 15.2%), and keep a consistent approach to the course (n = 24, 12.6%). The results provide valuable patient-oriented directions for improving ICBT for alcohol misuse.
| S-EPMC8536539 | biostudies-literature
Project description:OBJECTIVES:The university students' alcohol use behaviour and alcohol use self-efficacy data were collected among Ghanaian university students. This survey had two main objectives: (a) to examine the factorial validity, structure, and reliability of the 20-item alcohol abstinence self-efficacy scale among undergraduate students and (b) to examine the role of alcohol abstinence self-efficacy in the pros and cons of alcohol use. These two objectives have been published as separate research articles without the data (including data management) that were used for analyses. As the data are not already available as part of these published papers, this data note provides a composite and integrated data grounded on these published research articles with detailed information on the instruments used to collect data, raw data in statistical software, managed/coded data in statistical software, and generated correlation matrix used to perform complex analysis. DATA DESCRIPTION:The data includes information on two major dimensions: (a) alcohol abstinence self-efficacy-negative affect, social interactions and positive states, physical pain/illness, and alcohol craving (thoughts about using) and (b) decisional balance-measuring the benefits (pros) of alcohol use and the costs (cons) of alcohol use. In addition, data were collected on socio-demographic characteristics of students including their age, sex, level/year in school, stream of study, place of residence and religious affiliation. The data collected is more representative of students in private universities.
| S-EPMC6794847 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesTo assess the impact of lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic on migraine patients in India on disease activity, healthcare accessibility, and quality of life (QoL).Materials & methodsThis internet-based survey study using a structured questionnaire was conducted from 27th April to 31st July 2020. Previous physician-diagnosed migraine patients or those fulfilling any two of three clinical features (limitation of activities for >1 day, associated nausea or vomiting, and photophobia or phonophobia) were diagnosed as migraine patients. QoL was captured using a Likert scale and determinants of poor QoL were identified by logistic regression.ResultsA total of 4078 persons completed the full survey out of which 984 (24.1%) had migraine (mean age 35.3 ±11.2). Compared to pre-lockdown, 51.3% of migraineurs reported worsening of their headaches in terms of increased attack frequency (95.6%), increased headache days (95%), increased attack duration (89.9%) and increased headache severity (88.1%). The worsening was attributed to anxiety due to the pandemic (79.7%), inability or difficulty to access healthcare (48.4%) and migraine medicines (48.9%), and financial worries (60.9%). 26.8% of migraineurs reported poor QoL compared to 7.37% of non-migraineurs [p<0.0001]. Migraine affected QoL in 61.4% of migraineurs. The predictors of poor QoL on logistic regression included worsening migraine during the lockdown (AOR 4.150; CI 2.704- 6.369) and difficulty accessing migraine medicines (AOR 4.549; CI 3.041- 6.805). Employment as an essential COVID-19 worker (AOR 0.623; CI 0.409- 0.950) protected against poor QoL.ConclusionsCOVID-19 pandemic-related lockdown greatly impacted migraine patients in India which significantly reduced their QoL.
| S-EPMC8652819 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundFor a number of fiscal and practical reasons, data on heroin use have been of poor quality, which has hampered the ability to halt the growing epidemic. Internet search data, such as those made available by Google Trends, have been used as a low-cost, real-time data source for monitoring and predicting a variety of public health outcomes. We aimed to determine whether data on opioid-related internet searches might predict future heroin-related admissions to emergency departments (ED).MethodsAcross nine metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the United States, we obtained data on Google searches for prescription and non-prescription opioids, as well as Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) data on heroin-related ED visits from 2004 to 2011. A linear mixed model assessed the relationship between opioid-related Internet searches and following year heroin-related visits, controlling for MSA GINI index and total number of ED visits.ResultsThe best-fitting model explained 72% of the variance in heroin-related ED visits. The final model included the search keywords "Avinza," "Brown Sugar," "China White," "Codeine," "Kadian," "Methadone," and "Oxymorphone." We found regional differences in where and how people searched for opioid-related information.ConclusionsInternet search-based modeling should be explored as a new source of insights for predicting heroin-related admissions. In geographic regions where no current heroin-related data exist, Internet search modeling might be a particularly valuable and inexpensive tool for estimating changing heroin use trends. We discuss the immediate implications for using this approach to assist in managing opioid-related morbidity and mortality in the United States.
| S-EPMC6436381 | biostudies-literature