Main causes of mortality in Portugal: the population’s interest in a longitudinal study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32385/rpmgf.v40i4.13756Keywords:
Health literacy, Prevention, MortalityAbstract
Introduction: Brain and cardiovascular diseases, neoplasms and diseases of the respiratory system are the main causes of mortality in Portugal. Their evolution over the last few decades is distinct, with decreased cardiovascular mortality and increased deaths from neoplasms.
Objective: To characterize the population's interest in these causes of death, exploring the association between research peaks and social events that promote health literacy.
Methods: A longitudinal, descriptive study of the average relative (AR) search for the terms stroke, ADE, neoplasms, pneumonia, and their synonyms over the last five years using the Google Trends® digital platform. The AR was measured between 0 and 100 (maximum interest in the topic). Comparative analysis between terms was carried out.
Results: The AR in the period studied was 14.0±4.9 for stroke; 7.0±5.3 for MAS; 53.0±13.1 for neoplasm; and 7.0±5.7 for pneumonia. The PMR for the term neoplasm was significantly higher (p<0.01) than all the other terms, with a constant search pattern. The terms stroke and MAS showed a search peak, corresponding to moments when public figures were diagnosed with this pathology. There was no significant increase in the PMR of these terms during the annual commemoration weeks/campaigns organised by the corresponding scientific societies.
Conclusions: Awareness-raising campaigns, which are undoubtedly important, need to be translated into levels of digital interest. It is essential to invest in prevention strategies based on the promotion of health literacy.
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