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Misinformation About the Human Gut Microbiome in YouTube Videos: Cross-sectional Study

Authors :
Swathikan Chidambaram
Yathukulan Maheswaran
Calvin Chan
Lydia Hanna
Hutan Ashrafian
Sheraz R Markar
Viknesh Sounderajah
John C Alverdy
Ara Darzi
Source :
JMIR Formative Research, Vol 6, Iss 5, p e37546 (2022)
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
JMIR Publications, 2022.

Abstract

BackgroundSocial media platforms such as YouTube are integral tools for disseminating information about health and wellness to the public. However, anecdotal reports have cited that the human gut microbiome has been a particular focus of dubious, misleading, and, on occasion, harmful media content. Despite these claims, there have been no published studies investigating this phenomenon within popular social media platforms. ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to (1) evaluate the accuracy and reliability of the content in YouTube videos related to the human gut microbiome and (2) investigate the correlation between content engagement metrics and video quality, as defined by validated criteria. MethodsIn this cross-sectional study, videos about the human gut microbiome were searched for on the United Kingdom version of YouTube on September 20, 2021. The 600 most-viewed videos were extracted and screened for relevance. The contents and characteristics of the videos were extracted and independently rated using the DISCERN quality criteria by 2 researchers. ResultsOverall, 319 videos accounting for 62,354,628 views were included. Of the 319 videos, 73.4% (n=234) were produced in North America and 78.7% (n=251) were uploaded between 2019 and 2021. A total of 41.1% (131/319) of videos were produced by nonprofit organizations. Of the videos, 16.3% (52/319) included an advertisement for a product or promoted a health-related intervention for financial purposes. Videos by nonmedical education creators had the highest total and preferred viewership. Daily viewership was the highest for videos by internet media sources. The average DISCERN and Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct scores were 49.5 (SE 0.68) out of 80 and 5.05 (SE 2.52) out of 8, respectively. DISCERN scores for videos by medical professionals (mean 53.2, SE 0.17) were significantly higher than for videos by independent content creators (mean 39.1, SE 5.58; P

Subjects

Subjects :
Medicine

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2561326X
Volume :
6
Issue :
5
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
JMIR Formative Research
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.1b83938d5249f18a7860d013cfd1f5
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.2196/37546