Preferences for Health Science Popularization Short Videos Among Older Adults in China: A Discrete Choice Experiment

Creating videos tailored to the specific needs of target populations can enhance the effectiveness of health communication. However, there is limited research exploring the needs of older adults in relation to health educational short videos. Therefore, this study investigated the preferences of older adults in China for health science popularization short videos through an online questionnaire and discrete choice experiment (DCE) involving 108 respondents. Results indicated that older adults preferred videos presented as personal commentary, video clips, or other formats such as animations, with a duration of around 120 seconds and content that was simple and easy to understand. They expressed less interest in videos produced by profit-driven media, with a duration of 30 seconds, and content not closely aligned with their needs. Interaction analysis indicated that participants with higher education preferred videos that were low-cost and easy to understand, and showed a lower preference for videos with platform certification.