RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Mpox (monkeypox) information on TikTok: analysis of quality and audience engagement
JF BMJ Global Health
JO BMJ Global Health
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e011138
DO 10.1136/bmjgh-2022-011138
VO 8
IS 3
A1 Ao Shi
A1 Joe El Haddad
A1 Peng Cai
A1 Shijie Song
A1 Yuan Jia Wang
A1 Qi Liu
A1 Pengyang Li
YR 2023
UL http://gh.bmj.com/content/8/3/e011138.abstract
AB Background Online information on mpox (monkeypox) is not well studied. We have analysed the video content, information quality, and audience engagement of mpox-related videos on TikTok.Methods Using a hashtag-based searching strategy, we identified 2462 mpox-related videos on TikTok from 1 January to 11 August 2022; 85 were included after exclusion criteria screening. Videos were evaluated for content on features and treatment of mpox. Video and information quality was assessed using the DISCERN instrument and the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) criteria. We recorded video source, evaluation scores, and viewer engagement metrics. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used for statistical analysis and multiple linear regression for factor-association studies.Results Of the 85 videos, two assessed all content topics and highlighted 33% of all content items in clinical guidelines. The overall average score for the videos was 39.56 of 80 on the DISCERN instrument and 1.93 of 4 on the JAMA criteria. No video met all JAMA criteria. Subgroup analysis based on author identity suggested the variance in video scores by source (p<0.05 for all). Overall scores were higher for videos produced by doctors and science communicators than for those made by institutional users, nurses, and the general public. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that having people in the video (69.20, p=0.0001) and including information on treatment choices (1.15, p=0.045) were significant, independent determinants of audience engagement.Conclusion Public-directed TikTok videos on mpox frequently provide incomplete, inaccurate information, highlighting the potential risks of using TikTok as a health information source.Data are available upon reasonable request.