Short video platforms as sources of health information about Cervical cancer screening: A content and quality analysis (Preprint)
Authors: SU Luyang , Yao Jingrun , Ai Xiaohang , Du Zeqing 
Published: February 2025

BACKGROUND

Background: The development of social media facilitates people's access to healthcare information. In China, Kuaishou, Bilibili, and TikTok are popular short video platforms where many videos related to cervical cancer screening are available. However, the quality and professionalism of these videos vary significantly. This study aims to assess the quality and reliability of videos related to cervical cancer screening uploaded on Kuaishou, Bilibili, and TikTok, providing a reference for the public.

OBJECTIVE

Background: The development of social media facilitates people's access to healthcare information. In China, Kuaishou, Bilibili, and TikTok are popular short video platforms where many videos related to cervical cancer screening are available. However, the quality and professionalism of these videos vary significantly. This study aims to assess the quality and reliability of videos related to cervical cancer screening uploaded on Kuaishou, Bilibili, and TikTok, providing a reference for the public.

METHODS

Method: Using the keyword "cervical cancer screening," the top 100 related videos were searched on Kuaishou, Bilibili, and TikTok (a total of 300 videos). Among them, 259 videos met the criteria. A comparative analysis was conducted on the video duration, number of likes, number of favorites, number of comments, number of shares, follower count, uploader identity, and video type across these platforms. The Global Quality Score (GQS) and the modified DISCERN tool were used to evaluate these videos.

RESULTS

Result: This study includes 82 Kuaishou videos, 93 Bilibili videos, and 84 TikTok videos. The median video duration is significantly higher for Bilibili (109 seconds) compared to TikTok (77 seconds) and Kuaishou (54.5 seconds). Kuaishou videos consistently outperform TikTok and Bilibili in engagement metrics such as likes, favorites, comments, shares, and followers. TikTok has a higher proportion of videos regarding the importance of screening (70.2%), the screening process (71.4%), screening considerations (85.7%), and timing of screening (67.9%). In terms of the proportion of uploads by professional users, TikTok (74%) is significantly higher than Kuaishou (53%) and Bilibili (44%). In terms of video shooting style, monologue is the most common style. TikTok videos have the highest quality in GQS and modified DISCERN scores, followed by Bilibili and Kuaishou. There are significant differences in modified DISCERN scores among the three platforms (all pairwise comparisons P<0.001). Spearman rank correlation analysis shows that videos with higher quality (measured by GQS and modified DISCERN) are more likely to achieve higher audience engagement, reflected in likes, favorites, comments, and shares. However, video duration does not seem to affect video quality or audience engagement. These findings emphasize the importance of producing high-quality content to enhance audience engagement and information dissemination on social media platforms.

CONCLUSIONS

Conclusion: The public can learn about cervical cancer screening through social media platforms, but the quality and reliability of videos need to be improved. Videos uploaded by professionals generally have higher engagement and information reliability compared to those uploaded by individual users. Video creators should upload more professional and accurate videos to convey correct information, and platforms should strengthen their control over video content quality to prevent the dissemination of videos that are incorrect, unprofessional, of poor quality, and low reliability to the public.