Is Prostate Cancer Screening Information on Social Media Genuine?

The top 50 videos populated for the search term ‘prostate cancer screening’ on both YouTube (YT) and TikTok (TK) do not provide quality consumer health information, according to an analysis found in BJUI Compass.

How Does Social Media Help with Healthcare?

As people are becoming more dependent on technology, individuals and healthcare providers are utilizing the internet and social media for healthcare information and medical advice. The percentage of American adults using social media increased substantially from 5% in 2005 to 72% in 2021. Given that 8 in 10 American adults use the internet to search for health information, the impact of social media on medical decision-making is likely considerable.

Despite the increasing role that social media plays in disseminating health information, few studies have evaluated the impact of social media on prostate cancer screening, particularly among the high-risk population.

Therefore, a new study aimed to analyze and compare YT and TK videos focused on prostate cancer screening to determine whether they represent racial and ethnic diversity, accurately reflect guidelines about high-risk cohorts, and meet validated quality criteria for consumer health information.

Can Tiktok and YouTube Videos Provide Reliable Prostate Cancer Screening Information?

TikTok and YouTube videos were viewed 5,437.5 and 19.3 times per month, respectively. Black and Hispanic representation was present in only 10% and 6% of YouTube videos, and 20% and 12% of TikTok videos, respectively. High-risk racial/ethnic groups were explicitly discussed in 46% of YouTube videos and 8% of TikTok videos, reflecting a lack of proper counseling for these particular high-risk groups.

Based on national screening guidelines, 98% of YouTube videos and 100% of TikTok videos had only low to moderate-quality consumer health information, and 88% of YouTube videos and 100% of TikTok videos had moderate to high levels of misinformation.

There also was a lack of diversity: Black and Hispanic men were under-represented on both platforms, and high-risk racial groups were not discussed in most videos.

Social media is used by the majority of individuals worldwide, and its content and reach continue to expand. Although there are certainly some useful health-related resources on social media, viewers should interpret videos that provide medical advice with caution, as many do not contain reliable or high-quality information that has been validated.

Advertisement

Source-Eurekalert