JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Low health literacy impacts Americans from all walks of life. A recent national survey revealed over 60% of US adults demonstrate inadequate health literacy, and this is independently associated with lower preventive care utilization, poorer chronic disease management, and higher healthcare costs. Despite growing interest in digital health education, little is known about the impact of health education video content. To better understand the receptivity to a unique video-based approach to health education, this study evaluated the impact of brief, short-form physician–community member dialogue videos.

Objective:

To evaluate the acceptability of a short-form physician–community member dialogue video series, including content comprehension, perceived quality and trustworthiness, behavioral intentions, and stated willingness to share the content among U.S. adults.

Methods:

A cross-sectional, within-subjects observational evaluation was conducted online via HITLAB's survey platform. One hundred validated U.S. adults were recruited through a five-stage screening process and completed a pre-video questionnaire, viewed six sequential short-form educational videos, and completed a post-video questionnaire assessing perceived learning, content quality, trustworthiness, behavioral intentions, and willingness to share the content. All analyses were descriptive.

Results:

Participants were predominantly aged 45–54 years (64%), with 56% female and 79% having visited a healthcare provider in the preceding six months. Educational attainment was heterogeneous, with 25% holding below a high school diploma and 62% holding an undergraduate or graduate degree. Despite moderate-to-high baseline awareness, 99% of participants found the videos informative and 96% reported learning something new. Participants demonstrated high levels of comprehension of the educational content. Behavioral intent was similarly strong, with 91% likely to follow advice and 90% likely to take action. The series achieved an NPS of +41, exceeding the 2026 healthcare industry average of +37, with a 3.7:1 promoter-to-detractor ratio and a mean sharing score of 9.1/10. However, the present study did not measure actual sharing, reach, or social-network diffusion.

Conclusions:

The short-form physician–community member dialogue video format was well accepted and received favorable ratings for comprehension, trustworthiness, and content quality. Participants also reported perceived learning, positive behavioral intentions, and willingness to share the videos. These findings support further evaluation of the format as a potentially scalable approach to digital health education. Longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether these responses translate into sustained knowledge and actual preventive health behaviors. Clinical Trial: N/A