Abstract
Internet search patterns associated with “windows” of collective interest have been increasingly investigated in the field of public health. This article sets out to identify search patterns relating to the quest for information on skin protection after the perception of excessive exposure to UV radiation – the so-called “summer effect” as it is commonly referred to in Brazil. To calculate the number of hits on the Brazilian National Cancer Institute website – a renowned source of information resources on prevention – log analyzer software was used to measure the volume of hits on specific content pages. The pages on skin protection and self-examination (pages of interest) were monitored over a 48-month period. It was seen that, although the monthly average of hits on pages of interest revealed statistically significant annual growth, the results for the analysis of variance showed no significant differences between the number of hits in the summer compared with other months (p = 0.7491). In short, the perception of intense exposure to the summer sun did not encourage further interest to search for information on prevention.
Key words
Internet and health; Mass communication; Skin cancer; Primary prevention; Mass media
