Analyzing Instagram Posts on Hypothyroidism: Characteristics, Information Types, Quality, and Reliability

Background and aims In the age of social media, a vast amount of information is widely and easily accessible. Platforms such as Instagram allow its users to post pictures and videos that can reach millions of users. This could be utilized by healthcare providers to provide education to a vast number of the population about a disease such as hypothyroidism with an easily digestible infographic. However, this easy accessibility comes with the risk of rampant misinformation. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of Instagram posts, the type of information, and the quality and reliability of information posted about hypothyroidism. Methodology This is a cross-sectional observational study that was conducted over the course of days on Instagram. Top posts meeting inclusion criteria under seven different hypothyroidism-related hashtags were surveyed for content and social media metrics by the authors utilizing Google Forms. The quality and reliability of the posts were analyzed using the global quality scale and DISCERN scales, respectively. The data were exported to an Excel sheet and analyzed using the SPSS software version 21.0 (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.). Results A total of 629 posts met the inclusion criteria of which 62.5% were images and 37.5% were reels. The content heavily focused on the medical aspect of hypothyroidism with posts about symptoms (46.1%), prevention (39.59%), cause/etiology (36.41%), and treatment (34.34%). The median DISCERN score which reflects the reliability of the posts uploaded was highest for doctors at 3 and the least reliable posts were uploaded by dieticians, naturopathic doctors, and patients. This study found that the quality of posts uploaded by nutritionists and naturopathic doctors with a median Global Quality Score (GQS) score of 3. Conclusions There is a need to establish a quality control body that regulates the quality and reliability of the posts to curb misinformation and help patients gain easy access to reliable resources that will aid their decision-making.