Assessment of Quality and Content in Hernia-Related Short Videos on TikTok and Bilibili

Hernia imposes a growing global and national disease burden, yet public understanding remains limited. Short-video platforms such as TikTok and Bilibili have become major sources of health information in China, but the quality and reliability of hernia-related content have not been systematically evaluated.

Hernia-related videos were retrieved from TikTok and Bilibili between November 15 and 20, 2025. After excluding irrelevant, duplicate, and promotional content, 184 videos were included. Video characteristics, uploader categories, and engagement metrics were collected. Content themes were categorized, and quality was assessed using the Global Quality Score (GQS), modified DISCERN, Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT-U/A), and Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria. Group comparisons were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test, and associations were examined via Spearman correlation.

TikTok videos showed significantly higher engagement (likes and comments, both p < 0.01) but were shorter in duration compared with Bilibili. Professional physicians produced 98% of TikTok videos, whereas non-professionals contributed 56% of Bilibili content. TikTok demonstrated higher scores in mDISCERN, PEMAT-A, and JAMA benchmarks (all p < 0.05), though overall GQS scores remained low on both platforms. Longer videos were modestly associated with higher GQS (r = 0.35) and PEMAT-U (r = 0.34). Engagement indicators did not correlate with quality metrics.

Hernia-related content on TikTok and Bilibili exhibits a clear trade-off: TikTok achieves greater reach but offers limited educational depth, while Bilibili supports more comprehensive content with lower engagement.