The Double-Edged Sword of YouTube: Impact on Colon Cancer Screening Knowledge

Aims This research aims to scrutinize the content and quality of Colon Cancer screening awareness videos on YouTube, a platform widely utilized for health information. Despite boasting over a billion users, the absence of an editorial process on YouTube doesn't guarantee reliable content. The study finds that patient information is often substandard, potentially resulting in misinformation. This is especially concerning for crucial topics like Colon Cancer screening, as misleading information can distort users' perception and understanding of their health conditions. Methods Our search on YouTube employed "Colon Cancer Screening Awareness" as a key phrase. We dismissed videos that weren't in English, were irrelevant, or lacked sound. We noted characteristics like views, subscribers, likes, dislikes, comments, and whether they were scholarly or personal. The videos were then classified as trustworthy or not based on their scientific accuracy. We evaluated the video quality using the DISCERN tool, Global Quality Score (GQS), and Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). The consensus among seven researchers on DISCERN, GQS, and PEMAT was determined using intraclass correlation. Results Of the 76 YouTube videos that came up in our search and were subsequently evaluated, 33 (43.4%) were categorized as academic, while 43 (56.5%) were classified as private. It was observed that educational videos were accorded higher DISCERN scores than their private counterparts (31±11.6 vs. 22.64±10.07, p=0.018). A similar trend was witnessed regarding the Global Quality Score, which was higher for academic videos (3.1 vs. 2.2, p<0.05). The PEMAT score also favored educational videos (4.5 vs. 3.9, p=0.022). Moreover, a strong positive correlation was discovered between academic videos and the number of likes (OR: 1.5, P<0.001), subscribers (OR:1.78, P<0.0001), and views (OR:1.09, P<0.001). Conclusions This study highlights the pressing need for more reliable and scientifically accurate content on YouTube regarding colon cancer screening. Despite YouTube's vast user base, our research reveals the disappointing quality of information, often leading to misinformation. Academic videos scored higher on all evaluation measures (DISCERN, GQS, PEMAT) and had more views, likes, and subscribers than private ones. This underscores the importance of promoting and prioritizing scientifically accurate, high-quality educational videos to benefit public health. Publication History Article published online: 15 April 2024 © 2024. European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy. All rights reserved. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Rüdigerstraße 14, 70469 Stuttgart, Germany