ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Digit. Health
Sec. Connected Health
Volume 7 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fdgth.2025.1622503
Videos in Short-Video Sharing Platforms as Sources of Information on osteoarthritis: Cross-Sectional Content Analysis Study
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Joints, Tianjin Hospital of Tianjin University, tianjin, China
- 2Clinical College of Orthopedics, Tianjin Medical University, tianjin, China
- 3Tianjin University, tianjin, China
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Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating condition characterized by pain, stiffness, and impaired mobility, significantly affecting patients' quality of life. Health education is crucial in helping individuals understand OA and its management. In China, where OA is highly prevalent, platforms such as TikTok, WeChat, and XiaoHongshu have become prominent sources of health information. However, there is a lack of research regarding the reliability and educational quality of OA-related content on these platforms.Methods: This study analyzed the top 100 OA-related videos across three major platforms: TikTok, WeChat, and XiaoHongshu. We systematically evaluated the content quality, reliability, and educational value using established tools, such as the DISCERN scale, JAMA benchmark criteria, and the Global Quality Score (GQS) system. The study also compared differences in video content across platforms, offering insights into their relevance for addressing professional needs.Results: Video quality varied significantly between platforms. TikTok outperformed WeChat and XiaoHongshu in all scoring criteria, with mean DISCERN scores of 32.42 (SD 0.37), 24.57 (SD 0.34), and 30.21 (SD 0.10), respectively (P < 0.001). TikTok also scored higher on the JAMA (1.36, SD 0.07) and GQS (2.46, SD 0.08) scales (P < 0.001).Videos created by healthcare professionals scored higher than those created by nonprofessionals (P < 0.001). Disease education and symptom self-examination content were more engaging, whereas rehabilitation videos received less attention.Conclusions: Short-video platforms have great potential for chronic disease health education, with the caveat that the quality of the videos currently varies, and the authenticity of the video content is yet to be verified. While professional doctors play a crucial role in ensuring the quality and authenticity of video content, viewers should approach it with a critical mindset. Even without medical expertise, viewers should be encouraged to question the information and consult multiple sources.
Keywords: Osteoarthritis, Short videos, health information, quality assessment, Reliability
Received: 10 Jun 2025; Accepted: 07 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Yin, Liu, Fu and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jun Liu, Department of Joints, Tianjin Hospital of Tianjin University, tianjin, China
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.