Zhang Yaming, Guo Xiaoyu, Su Yanyuan
School of Economics and Management, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China.
Center for Internet Plus and Industry Development, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao, China.
PLoS One. 2024 Dec 23;19(12):e0312488. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312488. eCollection 2024.
Internet searches offer an indicator of public attention and possible demand for certain things. Studying the spatiotemporal characteristics of the public's concern for vaccination can determine the spatiotemporal distribution of demand for vaccines in China, and capture the changes in the health awareness of the Chinese population, thus informing future vaccination strategies.
Based on the collection of Baidu search indices for vaccination-related keywords in 363 cities in China, This paper seeks to explore the spatiotemporal changes and regional differences in public attention toward vaccination in China by using the seasonal index, seasonal concentration index, Herfindahl index, Moran index, and Dagum Gini coefficient.
The following findings are presented. First, there are significant seasonal fluctuations and unbalanced monthly distributions of vaccination-related public attention in China. Second, the public attention in Chinese cities shows the spatial characteristics of "leading in the east, followed by the central, western and northeastern regions". The spatial correlation of attention has been strengthened, and the high-high clusters are mainly distributed in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and Greater Bay Area (GBA) urban agglomerations. Third, regional differences in overall public attention narrowed in China, with intra-regional differences narrowing in seven regions (Northwest China, Central China, and so on), and intra-regional differences increasing in East China. The dominant role in the Gini coefficient changes from transvariation intensity to inter-regional differences.
Major public health emergencies stimulate the public's attention to health topics. Although the short-term increase in vaccination-related public attention was not observed to translate into a long-term increase in public vaccine literacy, the seasonal and regional differences in vaccination-related public attention in China have significantly narrowed before and after COVID-19, suggesting that the imbalance between public health literacy levels has improved.
互联网搜索提供了公众对某些事物的关注指标以及潜在需求。研究公众对疫苗接种关注的时空特征，能够确定中国疫苗需求的时空分布，并把握中国人群健康意识的变化，从而为未来的疫苗接种策略提供参考。
基于收集的中国363个城市与疫苗接种相关关键词的百度搜索指数，本文旨在运用季节指数、季节集中指数、赫芬达尔指数、莫兰指数和达古姆基尼系数，探究中国公众对疫苗接种关注的时空变化及区域差异。
呈现以下研究结果。第一，中国与疫苗接种相关的公众关注度存在显著的季节性波动和月度分布不均衡的情况。第二，中国城市的公众关注度呈现“东部领先，中部、西部和东北部地区次之”的空间特征。关注度的空间相关性增强，高高集聚主要分布在京津冀、长江三角洲和粤港澳大湾区城市群。第三，中国公众总体关注度的区域差异缩小，七个地区（中国西北地区、中部地区等）的区域内差异缩小，而华东地区的区域内差异增大。基尼系数变化中的主导因素从变异强度转变为区域间差异。
重大突发公共卫生事件激发了公众对健康话题的关注。尽管未观察到与疫苗接种相关的公众关注度短期上升转化为公众疫苗素养的长期提升，但在新冠疫情前后，中国与疫苗接种相关的公众关注度的季节性和区域差异已显著缩小，这表明公众健康素养水平之间的不平衡状况有所改善。
