JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Dengue fever has evolved into a matter of significant public health concern. In recent years, short-video platforms such as TikTok have emerged as a prominent medium for the dissemination of health education content. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of research investigating the quality of health education content on TikTok.

Objective:

The aim of this research was to evaluate the quality of dengue videos on TikTok

Methods:

A comprehensive collection of short videos pertaining to dengue fever was retrieved from the popular social media platform, TikTok, at a designated moment in time. A systematic analysis was then executed to extract the characteristics of these videos. To ensure a comprehensive evaluation, three distinct scoring tools were employed: the DISCERN scoring tool, the JAMA benchmarking criteria, and the GQS method. Subsequently, an in-depth investigation was undertaken into the relationship between video features and quality.

Results:

A total of 156 videos were included in the analysis, 81 of which (51.9%) were posted by physicians, constituting the most active category of contributor. The selected video pertaining to dengue fever received a total of 718,228 likes and 126,400 comments. Individuals obtained the highest number of video likes, comments, and saves. However, the findings of the study demonstrated that physicians, organizations, and news agencies posted videos are of higher quality when compared with individuals. The integrity of the video content was analyzed, and the results showed a higher percentage of videos received a score of zero points for outcomes, management, and assessment, with 45%, 37%, and 26%, respectively. The median Total DISCERN scores, JAMA, and GQS of the 156 dengue-related videos under consideration were 26, 2, and 3, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis was conducted, revealing a positive correlation between video duration and video quality. Conversely, a negative correlation was observed between the following variables: video comments and video quality, and the number of days since posting and video quality

Conclusions:

The present study demonstrates that the quality of short dengue-related health information videos on TikTok is substandard. Videos uploaded by medical professionals were among the highest in terms of quality, yet their videos were not as popular. It is recommended that in future, physicians employ more accessible language incorporating visual elements to enhance the appeal and dissemination of their videos. Future research could explore how to achieve a balance between professionalism and entertainment to promote user acceptance of high-quality content. Moreover, platforms may consider employing algorithmic optimization or content recommendation mechanisms to encourage users to access and engage with more high-quality health science videos.