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Public Interest in Dermatological Issues After the 2023 Türkiye Earthquake: A Comparative Google Trends Analysis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 June 2025

Cansu Altınöz Güney Open the ORCID record for Cansu Altınöz Güney [Opens in a new window]  and
Huriye Aybüke Koç
Cansu Altınöz Güney*
Affiliation:
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, Dinar State Hospital, Afyonkarahisar, Türkiye
Huriye Aybüke Koç
Affiliation:
Department of Dermatology and Venereology, https://ror.org/05szaq822Giresun University Faculty of Medicine, Giresun, Türkiye
*
Corresponding author: Cansu Altınöz Güney; Email: cansualtnz@gmail.com
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Abstract

Objectives

The February 6, 2023 Türkiye earthquake caused widespread destruction and significantly affected public health priorities. This study aimed to analyze the impact of the disaster on public interest in dermatological issues, using Google Trends.

Methods

Two dermatologists selected 10 dermatological topics based on textbooks and Google Trends data availability. Search trends in Hatay, Kahramanmaraş, and Adıyaman were analyzed for 52 weeks before and after the earthquake. Topics with a significant interest change due to the earthquake in at least 2 of 3 provinces ("dermatology" and “scabies”) were analyzed across all 11 affected provinces.

Results

Search interest in “dermatology” significantly decreased in Hatay (-27.5%, P = 4.16×10-4), Kahramanmaraş (-25%, P = 0.009), and Malatya (-56.9%, P = 0.0005). Other conditions, including “acne,” “eczema,” “psoriasis,” “urticaria,” and “wart” exhibited varying trends, but none of these changes reached statistical significance. Searches for “scabies” showed a substantial and statistically significant increase in Hatay (+69%, P = 4.11×10-10), Kahramanmaraş (+112%, P = 6.96×10-8), Adıyaman (+144%, P = 0.0179), Gaziantep (+54.3%, P = 2.56×10-9), Malatya (+91.8%, P = 0.00074), Diyarbakır (+50.5%, P = 2.43×10-8), Adana (+20.7%, P = 4.99×10-5), Şanlıurfa (+50.5%, P = 8.96×10-8), Elazığ (+421%, P = 5.25×10-4), and Osmaniye (+78.4%, P = 1.25×10-4). Hatay, previously ranked 9th, became the top province post-earthquake, with most others, except Adana and Elazığ, also rising in rank.

Conclusions

The earthquake significantly impacted public interest in dermatology, especially scabies. Google Trends can help identify health concerns, guiding resource allocation and targeted interventions post-disaster.

Keywords

dermatologyearthquakeGoogleinternetpublic interestscabies

Information

Type
Original Research
Information
Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness , Volume 19 , 2025 , e136
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Society for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Inc

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