Content and Quality Analysis of Chikungunya Fever-Related Online Information on Social Media: A Cross-Sectional Study

An outbreak of chikungunya fever (CHIKF) occurred in China in 2025. The rapid increase in new cases has drawn the attention of health authorities. The outbreak also sparked widespread discussion on social media platforms. Fear-inducing and uncertain information about CHIKF circulated rapidly online, which may complicate risk communication and outbreak management efforts. In this study, we assessed the content characteristics, video quality, information reliability, transparency, and engagement of CHIKF-related short videos across the two platforms. We searched TikTok China and Bilibili using the term "chikungunya fever" and included the top 100 videos from each platform on October 9, 2025 (N = 200). Video quality was assessed using the Global Quality Scale (GQS) and the Video Information and Quality Index (VIQI); information reliability was evaluated using the modified DISCERN (mDISCERN); transparency was measured using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria; and engagement was quantified using platform-based interaction metrics. Statistical analyses were performed to compare video characteristics across platforms and uploader categories, and to evaluate associations between these characteristics and quality scores. Videos from TikTok China showed higher JAMA benchmark scores, whereas videos from Bilibili achieved comparatively higher mDISCERN scores. Subgroup analyses indicated no statistical differences in engagement metrics across uploader categories, whereas quality scores differed significantly. In addition, engagement metrics showed weak correlations with video quality or reliability. The quality and reliability scores for CHIKF-related short videos on the two platforms were relatively low. The results support careful consideration of whether video quality and information reliability should be more explicitly incorporated into platform governance and content distribution strategies.