Digital Epidemiology: Use of Digital Data Collected for Non-epidemiological Purposes in Epidemiological Studies

Park, Hyeoun-Ae; Jung, Hyesil; On, Jeongah; Park, Seul Ki; Kang, Hannah

Increasing numbers of epidemiological studies are using digital data generated for a purpose other than epidemiology. There are also more freely accessible tools that allow users access to digital data, which may provide deep insight into health-related phenomena and population behavior. However, there is limited knowledge of the uses and limitations of digital data for epidemiological studies. Therefore, we reviewed epidemiological studies that used digital data and classified them by topic domain, purpose, data source, and analytic method, and evaluated their limitations for use in research.