ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Endocrinology
doi: 10.25005/2074-0581-2025-27-2-373-384
IMPACT OF CELEBRITY STATEMENTS ON INTERNET SEARCHES ON THE USE OF SEMAGLUTIDE FOR WEIGHT LOSS

S. PROVENZANO1, O.E. SANTANGELO2,3

1Local Health Unit of Trapani, ASP Trapani, Trapani, Italy
2Regional Health Care and Social Agency of Lodi, ASST Lodi, Lodi, Italy
3University of Milan, Milan, Italy

Objective: The study aimed to evaluate the digital search habits of the Italian population regarding the use of GLP-1RA (in particular Semaglutide) for their weight loss effects.

Methods: The study design is cross-sectional. Data on Internet searches have been obtained from Google Trends (GT) based on Google Search and Wikipedia's page visualization for Semaglutide. We compared Wikipedia and Google Trends to perform correlations and linear regression analysis. The study period was from 2018 to 2023.

Results: The results of the correlations between the words Semaglutide (SG) and/or Ozempic¹ (OZ) of GT and the number of views of the Italian Wikipedia page relating to SG, with all possible combinations analyzed, showed that the correlations were always strong, positive, and statistically significant both for the 2018-2023 time period and for the focus on the 2022-2023 period, similar to what was reported previously, the results were statistically significant for all comparisons made and also for linear regressions models.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrated how a celebrity could influence the volume of Internet searches related to a drug and showed that it would also be appropriate for public health institutions to collaborate with celebrities to organize media events on relevant public health issues, thereby increasing people's awareness.

Keywords: Infodemiology, infoveillance, Italy, diabetes, medical informatics computing.

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Authors' information:

Provenzano Sandro,
Medical Director at the Medical Directorate of ASP Trapani
ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7179-7246
E-mail: provenzanosandro@hotmail.it

Santangelo Omar Enzo,
Medical Director At SC Vaccinations and Infectious Disease Surveillance of the ASST of Lodi; Adjunct Professor at University of Milan
ORCID ID:0000-0003-2017-3665
E-mail: omarenzosantangelo@hotmail.it

Information about support in the form of grants, equipment, medications

The authors did not receive financial support from manufacturers of medicines and medical equipment

Conflicts of interest: No conflict

Address for correspondence:

Omar Enzo Santangelo
edical Director At SC Vaccinations and Infectious Disease Surveillance of the ASST of Lodi; Adjunct Professor at University of Milan

piazza Ospitale 10, 26900, Lodi, Italy

Tel.: +39 (0371) 372563

Email: omarenzosantangelo@hotmail.it


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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