Evaluating the quality of Spanish-language information for patients with type 2 diabetes on YouTube and Facebook

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Introduction: Spanish speakers rely on social media for health information, with varying quality of
its content. This study evaluates the reliability, completeness, and quality of type 2 diabetes (T2D)
information available in Spanish-language videos on YouTube and Facebook. Methods: Analytical
observational study that included Spanish-language videos on TD2 available on Facebook and
YouTube. General characteristics, interaction and generating sources are described. Standardized
tools were used to assess reliability, completeness and overall quality. Results: We included
172 videos, 90 from Youtube® and 82 from Facebook®. The median number of views was 1725
(IQR 213–10,000), with an average duration of 5.93 minutes (IQR 3.2–16.8) and an internet time of
834 days (IQR 407–1477). Most videos were uploaded by independent users (58.72%). Reliability (evaluated with DISCERN tool) had a median of 3 (IQR 2-3), completeness (content score) had a
median of 2 (IQR 1-3), and overall quality, evaluated with the Global Quality Score (GQS) tool had a
median of 3 (IQR 3-4). Using a global classification of “subjective reliability” 92.4% of the videos
were considered reliable. Better completeness was observed in Facebook videos (p < .001).
Reliability was better for videos from government or news organizations. Conclusion: Our results
suggest that videos about T2D in Spanish on social media such as YouTube and Facebook have good
reliability and quality, with greater exhaustiveness in content in Facebook videos and greater
reliability for videos from government or news organizations.
Original languageEnglish
Number of pages12
JournalHealth Informatics Journal
Volume31
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 16 Jan 2025

Keywords

  • information sources
  • internet
  • social media
  • type 2 diabetes

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