Myopia information on TikTok: analysis factors that impact video quality and audience engagement

TikTok is emerging as a vital platform for health information dissemination. Despite myopia being a global public health issue, the high-quality myopia information shared by health educators often fails to go viral. It is imperative to analyze the factors influencing video quality and popularity, especially from diverse perspectives of researchers, health educators, and audiences.

TikTok myopia-related videos were retrieved using TikTok's default comprehensive search (DCS) and most liked search (MLS) strategies. Venn diagrams were employed to illustrate the relationships and commonalities between the two strategies across four sample sizes (top 200, 150, 100, and 50). Video metadata, including details such as creator information, production properties, upload time, video duration, and viewer engagement, were collected. Video quality was assessed using the DISCERN tool. Video content covering six aspects of myopia were evaluated. The impact of search strategies, video sample sizes, production properties, and myopia content on video quality and audience engagement was analyzed through single-factor or multi-factor analysis.

DCS and MLS retrieval strategies, as well as varying sample sizes, resulted in differences in audience engagement for myopia videos (P < 0.039), while The DISCERN quality scores remained comparable (P > 0.221). Videos published by healthcare professionals (HCPs) and non-profit organizations (NPOs) were associated with high-quality (P ≤ 0.014) but comparatively lower popularity (P < 0.033). Videos that reported contents of risk factors, management, and outcomes showed high popularity (P < 0.018), while longer video duration (> 60s) exhibited the opposite trend (P < 0.032). Content on myopia evaluation (P ≤ 0.001) and management (P ≤ 0.022) and video duration were positively correlated with higher DISCERN quality.

Videos created by HCPs and NPOs deserve greater attention. Rather than pursuing entertaining effects, professional educators should emphasize producing concise, and high-quality myopia content that readily resonates with the audience and has the potential to go viral on the platform.