Internet Health Information–Seeking Trend of Urinary Incontinence in Mainland China: Infodemiology Study
Background: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a series of clinical episodes featuring involuntary urine leakage. Affecting people with their physical, emotional, and cognitive functioning, the negative perceptions and negative impact on patients are yet to be revealed from the public aspect. The genuine demand for urinary incontinence and related issues from patients may thus yet be revealed. Objective: To examine the online search trend, users' demand and encyclopedia content quality related to UI on a national and regional scale from the dominant major search engine, Baidu search, in mainland China. Methods: The Baidu Index was queried using the UI-related terms for the period 2011.01–2023.08. The search volume for each term was recorded to analyze the search trend and demographic distributions. For user interest, the demand graph data and trend data were collected and analyzed. Results: Three search topics were identified with the 18 available UI search keywords. The total BSI for all UI topics was 11,472,745. The APCs for the topic Complaint were 1.7% (p < .05) from 2011-2021, -7.9% (p < .05) from 2021-2023, and 0.1% (p < .05) in AACP. For topic Inquiry, the APCs were 16.0% (p < .05) from 2011 to 2016, -27.00% from 2016 to 2019, and 21.2% (p < .05) from 2019 to 2023, with an AAPC of 4.8%. Regarding the topic of Treatment, the APC was 20.3% from 2011-2018 (p < .05), -36.9% from 2018-2021 (p > .05), 2.2% from 2021-2023, and -0.4% overall AAPC. The age distribution of the population of each UI searching topics enquiries shows that the population aged 30 to 39 comprised mainly of the total search enquiries in each topic. People from the eastern part of China made up around 30% of each search query. Conclusions: The online UI searching is continuous and traceable since January 2011. Different categorized themes within the UI topic highlight specific demands from various populations, necessitating tailored responses. While online platforms can offer answers, medical professionals' involvement is crucial to avoid misdiagnosis and delayed treatment. Clinical Trial: Not applicable
