Watching health-related videos on social media leads to increased awareness about human papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccine, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research.
Takeaways
- Watching health-related videos on social media platforms, particularly regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) and the HPV vaccine, has been associated with heightened awareness. This finding underscores the role of online platforms in disseminating health information.
- About 80% of US individuals seek health information on the internet, with nearly 70% turning to online sources for health-related queries before other means. This highlights the significant reliance on the internet for health-related information.
- While online educational health resources contribute to disease prevention outcomes, there is limited data on geographic differences in exposure to health-related videos. The study aims to address this gap, focusing on urban and rural US individuals.
- The study used data from the Health Information National Trends Survey to measure the prevalence of exposure to health-related social media videos. Over the period from 2017 to 2022, there was a notable increase in the rates of video viewing in both urban and rural areas.
- Factors such as age, education level, and household income influence the likelihood of watching health-related social media videos. Participants aged 18 to 40 years, with higher education, or an annual household income of $200,000 or more, were more likely to engage in watching such videos.
Approximately 80% of US individuals consult the internet for health information, with almost 70% turning to the internet for health-related questions before any other source. Health information can be shared online through blogs, social media, informational webpages, health support groups, links, polls, status updates, pictures, and videos.
Data has indicated utilization of online educational health resources improves outcomes for disease prevention. However, while web-based video-sharing platforms have experienced increased popularity over time, there is little data evaluating geographic differences in exposure to health-related videos.
Investigators conducted a study to determine the prevalence of exposure to health-related social media videos in urban and rural US individuals and its impact on HPV awareness. Estimates were measured using 2022 Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) 6 data, with 2017 HINTS 5 data analyzed to determine the change in prevalence.
Participants included noninstitutionalized US civilians aged 18 years and older.The Google Trends and the YouTube Data Application Programming Interface (API version 3) were evaluated for data on the popularity and viewership, respectively, of web-based videos. Google Trends evaluated interest on a score from 0 to 100, with a higher score indicated greater popularity.
Demographic variables included race and ethnicity, sex assigned at birth, and age. Sociodemographic variables included household income, cancer history, and education.
The volume of searches with the term “HPV” was evaluated overall, monthly, and by metropolitan statistical area. For the YouTube data API, key terms included “HPV” and “HPV vaccine.” The top 500 videos tagged with these terms were evaluated for views and engagement.
There were 6158 participants included in the final analysis, 5358 residing in urban areas 800 in rural areas. Of participants, 59.6% watched health-related videos on social media. From 2017 to 2022, the rate increased from 31.4% to 59.8% in urban areas and from 22.4% to 58% in rural areas.
The difference in urban vs rural video viewing decreased from 9% in 2017 to 1.5% in 2022.Participants aged 18 to 40 years, as well as those with college level education or higher or an annual household income of $200,000 or more, were more likely to watch health-related social media videos.
Among urban participants, awareness of HPV and the HPV were increased by 26.1% and 15.2%, respectively, among participants watching health-related videos. Among rural participants, these rates were 33.5% and 23.7%, respectively.
The most common terms combined with “HPV” found in the YouTube data API were “HPV vaccine” and “HPV men.” The most popular related term for “HPV vaccine” was “HPV vaccine side effects.”
A total of 54.8 million views, 769,276 likes, and 68,933 comments were reported for the top 500 HPV-related videos since publication. For the top 500 HPV vaccine related videos, these numbers were 13.6 million views, 77,813 likes, and 25,277 comments.
These results indicated an association between watching health-related social media videos and improved awareness about HPV. Investigators concluded health communication through informational videos should be considered for improving health awareness.
Reference
Garg A, Nyitray AG, Roberts JR. Consumption of health-related videos and human papillomavirus awareness: Cross-sectional analyses of a US national survey and YouTube from the urban-rural context. J Med Internet Res. 2024;26:e49749. doi:10.2196/49749
