Assessing Public Interest in Online Men's Health Services: A Cross-Sectional Google Trends Analysis of “Hims”

IF 2.1 3区医学 Q2 UROLOGY & NEPHROLOGY

Urology Pub Date : 2025-06-01 DOI:10.1016/j.urology.2025.03.041

Jack Considine , Shane Tinsley , Amarnath Rambhatla , Ali Dabaja , Logan Hubbard

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Abstract

Objective

To evaluate public interest in “Hims,” a men’s health platform, to assess its impact on healthcare access, and identify geographic trends reflecting gaps in traditional healthcare availability.

Methods

Relative search volume (RSV) data for erectile dysfunction and early climax terms in “Hims” were collected via Google Trends from November 2017 to December 2023 across the United States. Data were analyzed in two intervals (2017-2020 and 2020-2023) using paired t tests to compare RSV and Kruskal-Wallis tests to assess differences among terms. Geographic regions were examined to identify underserved regions.

Results

Public interest in “Hims” increased significantly, with median RSV rising from 0 (interquartile range (IQR): 0-33) in 2017-2020 to 62 (IQR: 30-95) in 2020-2023 (P <.05). Searches related to erectile dysfunction rose from a median RSV of 18 (IQR: 0-100) to 46 (IQR: 0-100) (P <.001), with similar growth observed in searches related to early climax. High RSV was noted in states like Colorado, Wyoming, and Maine, highlighting increased interest in regions with limited healthcare resources. A marked rise in telehealth engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic further emphasized the role of digital platforms in healthcare delivery during periods of restricted access.

Conclusion

The rise in search interest for “Hims” underscores the increasing demand for telehealth services to for men’s health, particularly in underserved regions. These findings highlight the potential of digital platforms to bridge gaps in healthcare access.

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评估公众对在线男性健康服务的兴趣：对 "Hims "的谷歌趋势跨部门分析。

目的：评估公众对男性健康平台“Hims”的兴趣，评估其对医疗保健可及性的影响，并确定反映传统医疗保健可及性差距的地理趋势。方法：从2017年11月至2023年12月，通过谷歌Trends收集美国各地“Hims”中勃起功能障碍和早期高潮术语的相对搜索量数据。使用配对t检验比较相对搜索量，并使用Kruskal-Wallis检验评估术语之间的差异，对两个时间段（2017-2020年和2020-2023年）的数据进行分析。对地理区域进行了检查，以确定服务不足的地区。结果：公众对“Hims”的兴趣显著增加，相对搜索量中位数从2017-2020年的0（四分位数范围0-33）上升到2020-2023年的62（四分位数范围30-95）（p < 0.05）。与勃起功能障碍相关的搜索量中位数从18（四分位数范围：0-100）上升到46（四分位数范围：0-100）（p < 0.001），与早期性高潮相关的搜索量也出现了类似的增长。科罗拉多州、怀俄明州和缅因州等州的相对搜索量较高，这表明人们对医疗资源有限的地区的兴趣有所增加。在2019冠状病毒病大流行期间，远程医疗参与的显著增加进一步强调了数字平台在限制获取期间提供医疗服务方面的作用。结论：对“男性”的搜索兴趣的增加强调了对男性健康远程医疗服务的需求不断增加，特别是在服务不足的地区。这些发现突出了数字平台在弥合医疗保健获取差距方面的潜力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Urology 医学-泌尿学与肾脏学

CiteScore

3.30

自引率

9.50%

发文量

716

审稿时长

59 days

期刊介绍： Urology is a monthly, peer–reviewed journal primarily for urologists, residents, interns, nephrologists, and other specialists interested in urology The mission of Urology®, the "Gold Journal," is to provide practical, timely, and relevant clinical and basic science information to physicians and researchers practicing the art of urology worldwide. Urology® publishes original articles relating to adult and pediatric clinical urology as well as to clinical and basic science research. Topics in Urology® include pediatrics, surgical oncology, radiology, pathology, erectile dysfunction, infertility, incontinence, transplantation, endourology, andrology, female urology, reconstructive surgery, and medical oncology, as well as relevant basic science issues. Special features include rapid communication of important timely issues, surgeon''s workshops, interesting case reports, surgical techniques, clinical and basic science review articles, guest editorials, letters to the editor, book reviews, and historical articles in urology.