Breast Cancer Screening Participation and Internet Search Activity in a Japanese Population: Decade-Long Time-Series
Noriaki Takahashi1,2, Mutsuhiro Nakao3, Tomio Nakayama2
11, Graduate School of Medicine, International University of Health and Welfare, Tokyo, Japan.
Public interest in breast cancer screening in Japan, tracked via Google Trends, spiked due to celebrity diagnoses but did not significantly increase long-term screening participation rates. This highlights the need for effective public health messaging to drive sustained engagement in cancer screening.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Health Communication
- Digital Epidemiology
Background:
- Breast cancer screening is crucial for reducing mortality, with Japan aiming to boost participation.
- Measuring public attention and engagement with screening is challenging.
- Google Trends offers insights into societal interest but its link to screening rates in Japan is unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between public awareness (internet search volume) and breast cancer screening participation in Japan.
- To analyze trends over a decade (2009-2019) using Google Trends data and national screening records.
Main Methods:
- A time-series analysis correlated relative search volume (RSV) for "breast cancer screening" with participation rates in women aged 60-69.
- Data spanned 2009-2019, utilizing Google Trends and Japanese government municipal screening data.
- Joinpoint regression identified significant trend changes in both search volume and participation.
Main Results:
- Internet search volume for breast cancer screening peaked in 2015-2017, correlating with celebrity cancer diagnoses and media reports.
- Screening participation showed a temporary increase in 2015 but a generally slow decrease.
- Further assessment participation increased, with a notable slowdown in 2015.
Conclusions:
- Celebrity-related news drives temporary spikes in online searches for breast cancer screening.
- These search spikes do not translate into sustained increases in screening participation.
- Effective strategies are needed to convert public awareness into consistent screening behavior.
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