A descriptive analysis of multi-jurisdictional enteric illness messaging web analytics data, 2020-2022

Effective online communication is important for disseminating information during multi-jurisdictional enteric illness outbreaks in Canada. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) uses web-based Public Health Notices (PHNs) to communicate outbreak information and prevention measures. Despite this communication's importance, no study has examined online engagement with PHAC's PHNs.

To assess access to and engagement with online information on multi-jurisdictional enteric illness outbreaks by analyzing website traffic and engagement metrics for PHAC's PHNs.

Data on page and screen metrics, geographic location, device and browser types, and traffic source metrics for PHAC's PHN webpages (2020-2022) were obtained. Descriptive statistics were calculated for page and screen metrics data. Proportional frequencies were calculated for geographic location, device type, and traffic source metrics. Data were tabulated and visualized using R Studio.

Public Health Notice webpages had an average of 2,729±16,685 page views and 2,490±15,201 visits; decreasing (but not significantly) over the study period. Average session duration was 165±124 seconds; increasing (but not significantly) over time. Most visits originated in Canada (89.0%±4.2%) and were from mobile devices (74.6%±3.3%). Traffic sources were primarily search (49.1%±13.0%), followed by direct (23.9%±6.7%), social media (21.2%±8.4%), and referral (5.7%±2.5%). The geographic location, device type, and traffic source changed significantly year by year.

Engagement with PHAC's PHN webpages declined over the three years of the study, while mobile and search-driven access dominated and levels remained consistent over time. Social media generated comparatively little traffic. These findings suggest opportunities to enhance search optimization and social media amplification to improve outbreak communication.