YouTube as a Source of Medical and Epidemiological Information During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study of Content Across Six Languages Around the Globe
YouTube as a Source of Medical and Epidemiological Information During COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study of Content Across Six Languages Around the Globe
复制标题
DOI：
10.7759/cureus.8622
复制
发表时间：
2020-06-15
影响因子：
1.2
通讯作者：
Paul, Subhankar
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Dutta, Anirban;Beriwal, Nitya;Paul, Subhankar
当前的冠状病毒病19（COVID-19）爆发已被世界卫生组织（WHO）宣布为大流行病。它每天都在演变，并在全球各个社会和经济领域危及生命。世卫组织为管理COVID-19确定的六个关键战略目标之一是向所有社区传达关键信息并防止错误信息的传播。我们分析了www.example.com上的内容，这是一个广泛使用的基于网络的医疗和流行病学信息平台。MethodsYouTube搜索结果使用两个关键字进行了分析，每个关键字使用六种语言-英语，阿拉伯语，孟加拉语，荷兰语，印地语和尼日利亚洋泾浜语于2020年4月8日。六种语文各40个视频（即，共240段录像）进行分析。两名评审员对每种语言进行了独立分析。观察者间一致性采用kappa系数（kappa）进行评价。修正的DISCERN指数和医学信息和内容指数（MICI）得分分别用于视频内容的可靠性和信息质量评估。进行方差分析、Kruskal-Wallis检验、Mann-Whitney检验和卡方检验以进行数据分析。p值小于0.05被认为具有统计学显著性。所有计算均使用SPSS Statistics for Windows 21.0版（IBM Corp，阿尔蒙克，纽约州）进行。总的来说，52.5%的视频是信息性的，23.75%是新闻更新，8.33%是个人经历。10%的视频被发现存在医疗误导信息。独立用户贡献了75%的误导性内容。总体平均DISCERN评分（内容可靠性指数）为2.62/5。总体平均MICI评分为5.68/25。视频在MICI量表的传播部分得分较好，在筛选/测试部分得分较低结论大多数关于COVID-19和严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）的视频内容的可靠性和质量不令人满意。在所有六种语言中都发现了具有误导性内容的视频，有时比来自可靠来源的视频获得更高的观看百分比。政府和卫生机构提供的视频份额很低。医疗机构和卫生机构应在YouTube等广泛使用的平台上制作内容，以传播高质量的医疗和流行病学信息。
IntroductionThe current coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) outbreak has been declared to be a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO). It is evolving daily and has jeopardized life globally across social and economic fronts. One of the six key strategic objectives identified by the WHO to manage COVID-19 is to communicate critical information to all communities and prevent the spread of misinformation. We analyzed content on YouTube.com, a widely used web-based platform for medical and epidemiological information.MethodsYouTube search results using two keywords were analyzed each in six languages - English, Arabic, Bengali, Dutch, Hindi, and Nigerian Pidgin on April 8, 2020. Forty videos in each of the six languages (i.e., a total of 240 videos) were included for analysis in the study. Two reviewers conducted independent analyses for each language. The inter-observer agreement was evaluated with the kappa coefficient (kappa). Modified DISCERN index and Medical Information and Content Index (MICI) scores were used for the reliability of content presented in the videos and information quality assessment, respectively. Analysis of variance, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney test, and chi-square tests were done appropriately for data analysis. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. All calculations were performed using SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 21.0 (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY).ResultsThe videos cumulatively attracted 364,080,193 views. Altogether, 52.5% of videos were Informative, 23.75% were News Updates, and 8.33% were Personal Experiences. Ten percent of videos were found to present medically misleading information. Independent Users contributed 75% of the misleading content. The overall Mean DISCERN score, an index of content reliability, was 2.62/5. The overall Mean MICI Score was 5.68/25. Videos had better scores in the Transmission component of the MICI scale and scored low on the Screening/TestingConclusionThe reliability and quality of the content of most videos about COVID-19 and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were found to be unsatisfactory. Videos with misleading content were found across all six languages, and sometimes garnered a higher percentage of views than those from credible sources. The share of videos contributed by Government and Health Agencies was low. Medical institutions and health agencies should produce content on widely used platforms like YouTube for quality medical and epidemiological information dissemination.