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Exploring Google Searches for Out-of-Clinic Medication Abortion in the United States During 2020: Infodemiology
Sylvia Guendelman1, Elizabeth Pleasants1, Coye Cheshire2
1Wallace Center for Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health School of Public Health University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA United States.
JMIR Infodemiology
|April 28, 2023
Summary
Online searches for home abortion surged during the pandemic, indicating increased interest in out-of-clinic medication abortion services. State restrictions correlate with higher search volumes for abortion pills and related terms.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Digital Health
- Reproductive Health
Background:
- Increasing access barriers to in-person abortion care due to legal restrictions and COVID-19 disruptions.
- Individuals are seeking information and services for out-of-clinic medication abortions online.
- Google searches provide insights into population-level interest in medication abortion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the extent of online searches for out-of-clinic medication abortions in the US during 2020.
- To analyze search terms such as 'home abortion,' 'self abortion,' and 'buy abortion pill online.'
- To identify trends, peak search times, and geographic popularity of these searches.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Google Trends and Google Health Trends APIs to estimate relative search index (RSI) and relative search volume (RSV).
- Analyzed search trends and peak values between January 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021.
- Identified top search queries and top-ranking webpages for initial search terms.
Main Results:
- 'Home abortion' searches were significantly more popular than 'self abortion' or 'buy abortion pill online.'
- Interest in 'home abortion' peaked in November 2020, coinciding with expanded telemedicine and mail delivery of abortion pills.
- Searches for 'home abortion' were highest in states with abortion restrictions, and top-ranking webpages offered limited evidence-based information, with some containing disinformation.
Conclusions:
- Greater public interest exists in home abortions compared to minimally or non-clinically supported self-managed abortions.
- Infrequent abortion-related search data can be analyzed using resampling techniques.
- Future research should explore correlations between abortion search terms and abortion care measures for improved monitoring.
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