Using TikTok to Educate, Influence, or Inspire? A Content Analysis of Health-Related EduTok Videos

This study explores how people engage with educational and motivational content on TikTok. We conducted a mixed-methods content analysis of N = 400 health videos from the prosocial EduTok campaign. Two theories guided our analysis of content: the motivational theory of role modeling and the health belief model. Our results revealed that audiences most frequently engaged with educational videos related to diet, exercise, and sexual health. Role model appeals were prominently featured and highly engaged with. However, these videos often framed health promotion through an ideal lens, without including information needed for behavior change attainability. The prevalence of constructs from the health belief model in videos varied. Videos emphasizing prevention, cues to action, and behavior antecedents including perceived benefits and severity attracted more views and engagement than videos that did not include these concepts. We further observed a trend in which content creators used severity in a sensational manner to elicit shock and outrage, which in turn boosted content virality. When included, videos featuring efficacy appeals garnered higher engagement. However, these appeals were less common and had limited reach. Overall, our findings provide implications for using role modeling and theory-driven appeals in social media eHealth communication.