Short-video platforms as sources of atherosclerosis information: A cross-sectional content analysis

In recent years, short videos have shown significant promise in spreading health-related content. Yet, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no research that has evaluated the content and quality of atherosclerosis-related videos on short-video platforms. The goal of this research was to evaluate the content and quality of atherosclerosis-related videos on short-video platforms. We searched 4 platforms using predefined keywords (atherosclerosis, atherosclerotic disease, arteriosclerosis, arterial occlusion or vascular occlusion). We collected the top 50 videos per term on each platform. Data were collected on TikTok, Kwai, Rednote, and Bilibili from December 31, 2024 to January 8, 2025. Two independent researchers evaluated the content and quality of these videos by measures of Journal of the American Medical Association score, Global Quality Scale, modified DISCERN, and Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). The data analysis was performed using SPSS and GraphPad Prism. Descriptive statistics were produced, and comparisons were made between different groups. The relationship between quantitative variables was examined using Spearman correlation analysis. A total of 764 suitable videos were selected for in-depth analysis, with the majority focusing on disease-related information (n = 670, 87.7%). The primary contributors were medical professionals (n = 546, 75.1%). The videos attained a mean Journal of the American Medical Association score of 1.8 (standard deviation [SD] 0.6), a Global Quality Scale rating of 3.1 (SD 0.8), and an modified DISCERN score of 2.7 (SD 0.6). They also had a PEMAT-Understandability score of 84.2% (SD 11.6%) and a PEMAT-Actionability percentage of 70% (SD 39.6%). The content shared by medical professionals and the videos that included information about illnesses were typically of superior quality and attracted significantly more engagement. Content related to treatment received more likes, comments, saves, and shares than other topics (P < .01). A significant positive relationship was found between the number of likes, comments, saves, and shares. Furthermore, the duration of the videos, the time elapsed since they were uploaded, and the follower count were all positively linked to both the popularity and perceived quality of the videos (P < .001). While short-video platforms host substantial content, the overall quality is suboptimal and requires systematic improvement and professional oversight.