JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

TikTok has emerged as a major source of health information, yet concerns persist regarding content accuracy and financial conflicts. Gut health content is particularly vulnerable to misinformation.

Objective:

This study examined the relationship between creator profession (“medical” versus “non-medical”) and the quality of gut health claims and financial conflicts on TikTok.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional study of 412 creator accounts identified using the search terms “guthealth,” “gutcleansing,” and “digestion.” One video per creator was analyzed. Creator profession was categorized as medical or non-medical, and health claim quality was coded as high, moderate, or poor. Financial conflicts (Showcase, Subscription, external links) were assessed.

Results:

Non-medical creators were more likely than medical creators to present poor- or moderate-quality health claims (adjusted PR 2.33; 95% CI 1.50–3.62). Most creators (92%) exhibited at least one financial conflict, and Showcase use was greater among non-medical creators (adjusted PR 1.57; 95% CI 1.02–2.42). Videos containing moderate- and poor-quality health claims received three times as many likes as videos containing high-quality claims.

Conclusions:

Non-medical creators disproportionately produced lower-quality gut health content, and misleading claims received greater engagement. These findings highlight a misalignment between information quality and visibility on social media.