title: Infodemiological data of high-school drop-out related web searches in Canada correlating with real-world statistical data in the period 2004-2012.
abstract: The present data article describes high-school drop-out related web activities in Canada, from 2004 to 2012, obtained mining Google Trends (GT), using high-school drop-out as key-word. The searches volumes were processed, correlated and cross-correlated with statistical data obtained at national and province level and broken down for gender. Further, an autoregressive moving-average (ARMA) model was used to model the GT-generated data. From a qualitative point of view, GT-generated relative search volumes (RSVs) reflect the decrease in drop-out rate. The peak in the Internet-related activities occurs in 2004 (56.35%, normalized value), and gradually declines to 40.59% (normalized value) in 2007. After, it remains substantially stable until 2012 (40.32%, normalized value). From a quantitative standpoint, the correlations between Canadian high-school drop-out rate and GT-generated RSVs in the study period (2004-2012) were statistically significant both using the drop-out rate for academic year and the 3-years moving average. Examining the data broken down by gender, the correlations were higher and statistically significant in males than in females. GT-based data for drop-out resulted best modeled by an ARMA(1,0) model. Considering the cross correlation of Canadian regions, all of them resulted statistically significant at lag 0, apart from for New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and the Prince Edward island. A number or cross-correlations resulted statistically significant also at lag -1 (namely, Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan).
authors: Department of Mathematics (DIMA), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; UNESCO CHAIR "Anthropology of Health - Biosphere and Healing System", University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors: Anna
authors: A
authors: Siri
authors: Laboratoire Etudes théologiques, Sciences Cognitives et Sociales, Faculty of Literature and Humanistic Studies, Sais, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco.
authors: Hicham
authors: H
authors: Khabbache
authors: College of Education Curriculum and Instruction Department Kuwait University, Kuwait.
authors: Ali
authors: A
authors: Al-Jafar
authors: Section of History of Medicine and Ethics, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors: Mariano
authors: M
authors: Martini
authors: Department of Neurology, Franz Tappeiner Hospital, Italy; Department of Neurological and Movement Sciences, Section of Clinical Neurology, University of Verona, Italy.
authors: Francesco
authors: F
authors: Brigo
authors: Department of Mathematics (DIMA), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; UNESCO CHAIR "Anthropology of Health - Biosphere and Healing System", University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; Laboratoire Etudes théologiques, Sciences Cognitives et Sociales, Faculty of Literature and Humanistic Studies, Sais, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Fez, Morocco; School of Public Health, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy.
authors: Nicola Luigi
authors: NL
authors: Bragazzi
keywords: Google Trends; High-school drop-out