Public Reproductive Health Concerns related to the COVID-19 Vaccination: A Retrospective Analysis of Google Trends Data in Iran

Abstract

Background: Vaccination is known as the safest and the most effective method to control the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the spread of misconceptions is one of the causes of vaccination hesitancy worldwide. Google is one of the most popular databases used by people to search for answers to their health concerns Objective: This study aimed to identify the most public reproductive health concerns in relation to the COVID-19 vaccination of Iranians using data obtained from Google Trends. Methods: In this infodemiology study, the data were retrieved from Google Trends regarding the most public reproductive health concerns of COVID-19 vaccination using search terms "abortion", ‘infertility’, ‘menstruation’, ‘pregnancy’ and ‘sexuality’ in combination with "COVID-19 vaccine" in Iran. The period chosen was from February 1, 2021, to December 31, 2022. The relative search volumes (RSV) of the search terms were compared Results: The comparison of the top five searched terms showed that the combination of the terms "pregnancy" and "Corona vaccine" had the highest popularity. The combination of search terms "sexuality","abortion","menstruation", and"infertility" with the "Corona vaccine" was the next in the search rankings, respectively. The search interest increased after July 2020, and peaked in August and September 2021, when the vaccination of pregnant women was announced. From December 2021, the search interest decreased with a generally slow slope across all curves. The search interests differed among the 31 provinces of Iran Conclusion: Public health authorities can use this study to better understand the reproductive health concerns of the community regarding COVID-19 vaccination. They can then apply this data for health planning, setting up agendas, and policy making.