Online health information-seeking behaviours for low back pain in the United Kingdom: analysis of data from Google trends and the Global Burden of Disease Study, 2004-2019

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of global disability. Timely health-seeking is crucial for early diagnosis and management of pathologies. Despite increases in internet usage, there is sparse literature regarding online health information-seeking behaviours (OHISBs) for LBP and how they correlate with the LBP disease burden in the UK. Methods: To examine OHISB trends, we conducted Prais-Winsten analyses on monthly search volume data from Google Trends in the UK between 1 January 2004 and 1 December 2019. Cross-correlation analyses assessed the relationship between annual LBP search volume and LBP morbidity and mortality data from the Global Burden of Disease study (2004-2019). Results: From 2004 to 2019, the trend in LBP search volume was curvilinear (beta=1.27, t=5.00, p<0.001), with a slope change around the end of 2006. There was a negative linear trend (beta=-0.25, t(35)=-1.52, p<0.14) from 2004 to 2006 and a positive linear trend (beta=0.67, t(108)=9.17, p<0.001) from 2007 to 2019. Cross-correlations revealed positive associations between search volume and disease burden indicators for LBP such as prevalence and incidence at lags 4 and 5. Conclusions: A rising trend in OHISBs for LBP was noted between 2004 and 2019. This trend positively correlates with incidence, prevalence and burden measures. These findings emphasise the importance of high-quality online resources to increase awareness around LBP, facilitating early diagnosis and management.