JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Many users have now switched to using short video platforms as the main channel in the search for skin health information. With the high internet penetration and the large market for the skincare industry, short video platforms have an important role in the "beauty discovery" process and purchase decisions. However, the increasing consumption of skin health content is also accompanied by the risk of misinformation, uneven content quality, and the dominance of creators who are not health professionals. Therefore, it is important to know what factors affect the use of short video platforms in the search for skin health information.

Objective:

By adopting the health belief model and media richness theory, this study aims to analyze the factors that influence the use of short video platforms in the search for skin health information.

Methods:

This study used a mixed-method by distributing an online survey on 603 respondents and interviews with 30 sources. Survey data was analyzed using the covariance-based structural equation modeling method and qualitative data was analyzed using the thematic analysis method.

Results:

The results of this study found that perceived usefulness, attitude, perceived severity, and perceived susceptibility have a direct influence on the behavior of seeking skin health information on short video platforms. This study also found that health content expressiveness and personalized health insights have a direct influence on perceived usefulness. In addition, upward skin comparison also has a direct influence on skin stigmatization. However, this study found that there was no effect of source credibility and skin stigmatization on skin health information seeking on short video platforms.

Conclusions:

This study can provide guidance for the development of more effective health communication strategies in the digital era by using short video platforms.