HbA1c AND E-HEALTH: YOUTUBE MIGHT BE GOOD FOR YOU, IF YOU USE IT WISELY

The purpose of this study is to evaluate YTB content performance on HbA1c and indirectly diabetes, an important pillar of it.

The contents in YTB were searched by derivative keywords of HbA1c. The resulting contents were scored using DISCERN and GQS scales. The videos were evaluated by dividing them into four groups: medical doctors, patients, educational channels and other health care professionals, according to the characteristics of producers.

The videos included in the study had been watched approximately 25 million times until the article prepared. In examinations, medical doctors have higher scores than the other groups in two scales. The video scores were statistically correlated in DISCERN and GQS (r: 0.874, p<0.05). In the multiple regression analyzes, a statistically significant relationship was found between the DISCERN score and duration of the videos among video features (p<0.05). On the aspect of view counts and view ratios were similar within groups (p>0.05).

YTB contents may be useful for diabetes patients with cautious research. Still, consumers must have prior knowledge of their intentions from reliable medical sources and should be meticulous about videos. In conclusion, eHealth literacy is being more crucial than before.