Dive Brief:
- A new study has concluded that U.S. residents searched Google for information about health problems more frequently during the recession.
- The study, which was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, measured how often individuals searched for five root terms most indicative of health problems from December 2008 through 2011. The terms they used were chest; headache, heart, pain and stomach.
- Researchers then calculated how often the terms were searched compared with where the searches would've been if no recession had taken place, adjusting for increased Internet access and use. Results showed large increases in the use of such terms. Terms for stomach ulcer symptoms topped the list at 228% higher frequency than expected.
Dive Insight:
It's not surprising to see that consumers were seemingly taking their health into their own hands during the recession. It does raise one question, however: will consumers actually sicker during this period or were they just being more proactive about their health given that many lost health insurance when they lost their jobs during the recession? Either way, it's interesting to see Google being used as a barometer for public health. I suspect medical research based on Google and other search engine usage could reveal even more about public health and health behavior.