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. 2022 Mar 13;11(3):379.
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11030379.

How COVID-19 Has Influenced Public Interest in Antimicrobials, Antimicrobial Resistance and Related Preventive Measures: A Google Trends Analysis of Italian Data

Andrea Maugeri  1 , Martina Barchitta  1 , Guido Basile  2 , Antonella Agodi  1
Affiliations

How COVID-19 Has Influenced Public Interest in Antimicrobials, Antimicrobial Resistance and Related Preventive Measures: A Google Trends Analysis of Italian Data

Andrea Maugeri et al. Antibiotics (Basel). .

Abstract

Google Trends analytics is an innovative way to evaluate public interest in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and related preventive measures. In the present study, we analyzed Google Trends data in Italy, from 2016 to 2021. A joinpoint analysis was performed to assess whether and how annual campaigns and the COVID-19 pandemic affected public interest in antimicrobials, AMR, hand hygiene, and the use of disinfectant. For the terms "antimicrobials" and "antimicrobial resistance", no joinpoints were detected around the time of the World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. Similarly, the COVID-19 pandemic seems to have had no effect on public interest in this term. For the term "handwashing", no joinpoints were detected around World Hand Hygiene Day or Global Handwashing Day. However, three joinpoints were detected around the peak of interest observed in March 2020, after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Comparable results were obtained for the term "disinfectant". These findings show that the influence of annual campaigns on public interest in AMR and preventive measures was modest and not long-term. The COVID-19 pandemic, meanwhile, had no effect on AMR but raised awareness on preventive measures. However, this was a temporary rather than long-term outcome. Thus, different policies, strategies, and measures should be designed to advocate prevention of AMR in the COVID-19 era.

Keywords: Google analytics; antibiotic resistance; disinfectant; hand hygiene; handwashing; preventive measures.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Public interest in the term “antimicrobials” based on Google Trends data. (A) Relative search volume over time from January 2016 to December 2021. (B) Heatmap showing the intensity of monthly public interest per year.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Public interest in the term “antimicrobial resistance” based on Google Trends data. (A) Relative search volume over time from January 2016 to December 2021. Vertical orange lines correspond to the months when WAAWs occurred; (B) heatmap showing the intensity of monthly public interest per year.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Joinpoint analysis of public interest in the term “antimicrobial resistance”.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Public interest in the term “handwashing” based on Google Trends data. (A) Relative search volume over time from January 2016 to December 2021. Vertical blue lines correspond to the months when annual campaigns occurred; (B) heatmap showing the intensity of monthly public interest per year.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Joinpoint analysis of public interest in the term “handwashing”.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Public interest in the term “disinfectant” based on Google Trends data.
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