Application of GIS and Google Trends Index to Assess the Dynamics of Morbidity Associated with Environmental Conditions in Northeastern Vietnam

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to explore the possibility of using Google Trends Index (GTI) service in assessing spatial and temporal changes in the public interest in environmental diseases as an aspect of assessing the socio-ecological and medical-demographic situation of the area. Materials and Methods. GTI data collected on keywords associated with two groups of diseases were used for the analyses: respiratory system diseases related to ambient air quality and water quality related diseases. The obtained data were geocoded by provinces in Vietnam and GTI values for each disease group were calculated for the period 2020-2023. The results were visualised using the QGIS geoinformation package to map GTI changes in time and space. Results and discussion. The fi ndings indicate that public interest in diseases related to water pollution is signifi cantly higher than that for diseases caused by air pollution throughout the study period. In provinces with less developed water supply infrastructure, such as Lang Son and Bac Giang, GTI for water quality related diseases shows a signifi cant increase. Interest in air pollution-related diseases remains relatively stable, with small fl uctuations in the highly industrialised provinces of Haiziong and Haiphong. Conclusion. The research confi rms the eff ectiveness of using GTI service and GIS mapping as an additional tool for analysing public interest in health and environmental issues, especially in regions with limited access to offi cial data.