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The Quality and Reliability of Short Videos About Lactational Mastitis on TikTok: A Cross-Sectional Study
Lin Xie1,2, Yingda Song3, Yafen Zhang1
1Department of Breast Surgery, Shanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, China.
Background:
Lactational mastitis is a prevalent postpartum infection that significantly impacts maternal health and the continuation of breastfeeding. While TikTok has emerged as a major platform for health information dissemination, concerns persist regarding the scientific quality and reliability of its content. To date, a systematic evaluation of lactational mastitis-related videos on this platform is lacking.
Objective:
To evaluate the characteristics, content completeness, quality, and reliability of Chinese TikTok videos on lactational mastitis.
Methods:
A cross-sectional content analysis was conducted on videos related to lactational mastitis on TikTok (Douyin). Between October 26 and 30, 2025, the top 150 videos returned under the default ranking were consecutively screened, of which 124 met the eligibility criteria and were included in the analysis. We used the Global Quality Score (GQS) to evaluate overall educational value, flow, and usefulness, and the modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) to assess information reliability and traceability; both are widely used and validated instruments for assessing online health information. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, group comparisons (Kruskal-Wallis), and Spearman correlations (two-sided p < 0.05) in R 4.3.2.
Results:
Of 150 consecutively retrieved videos, 124 met the eligibility criteria. Videos were brief (median 68.00 s; IQR 42.00-111.75) and highly engaging, but overall educational quality and reliability were low, with median GQS and mDISCERN scores of 2.00 (IQR 2.00-3.00) and 3.00 (IQR 2.00-4.00), respectively. Content emphasized precipitating factors, clinical presentation, and treatment, whereas epidemiology and diagnosis were least covered; 83.9% of videos mentioned neither. Healthcare professionals scored higher than nonprofessionals on both GQS and mDISCERN (both p < 0.05). Video duration was weakly positively correlated with GQS (r = 0.35, p < 0.001), whereas engagement metrics were not meaningfully associated with GQS or mDISCERN (all ∣r∣ ≤ 0.18, p ≥ 0.05).
Conclusion:
The overall quality and reliability of TikTok videos on lactational mastitis are suboptimal. Future efforts should prioritize improving content completeness and scientific rigor; fostering greater participation by qualified health professionals; and promoting transparent citation of sources, clear disclosure of credentials and conflicts of interest, and routine updates to reflect current evidence. Educational interventions and authoring guidance tailored to short-video formats may further support accuracy and clarity for lay audiences.
