Reliability and Quality Assessment of Internet Videos as Guidance for Dietary Weight Loss Intervention: A Cross-Sectional Study in China

BackgroundObesity, a chronic disease affecting nearly all physiological functions, poses severe public health challenges by increasing the risk of conditions like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and depression. Managing obesity typically involves altering energy balance, with dietary interventions emerging as an effective and sustainable weight management approach. As internet usage surpasses 4 billion globally, many individuals now turn to online platforms for health information, with video content on platforms like TikTok gaining significant popularity for its accessibility and engagement. However, the quality of such content varies widely. In China, platforms like TikTok, BiliBili, and Kwai dominate health information dissemination, yet limited studies have evaluated the reliability of their dietary weight loss video content. ObjectiveOur study aims to assess the reliability and quality of the information in Chinese videos on dietary weight loss shared on the BiliBili, TikTok, and Kwai, three video-sharing platforms. MethodsWe collected the top 100 dietary weight loss videos on BiliBili, TikTok, and Kwai in February 2024 and evaluated the information quality and reliability of the videos using the Global Quality Score (GQS) and mDISCERN. We also analyzed the correlation between video quality and video characteristics. ResultsThe average GQS scores for dietary weight loss videos on BiliBili, TikTok, and Kwai are 2.04, 1.81, and 1.7, respectively, while the average mDISCERN scores are 2.01, 1.81, and 1.73. The median scores for both GQS and mDISCERN across the three platforms are 2. Although BiliBilis GQS and mDISCERN scores are higher than those of Kwai and TikTok (GQS: P<0.01, P=0.02; mDISCERN: P=0.02, P=0.08), none of the platforms have exceeded a score of 3, indicating that the quality and reliability of dietary weight loss videos on BiliBili, TikTok, and Kwai are all quite poor. Additionally, our study identified several significant positive correlations: the GQS score was positively correlated with video duration (r=0.41, P<0.01), as was the mDISCERN score (r=0.32, P<0.01). Strong positive correlations were also observed between the number of likes and favorites (r=0.90, P<0.01), likes and comments (r=0.92, P<0.01), as well as favorites and comments (r=0.86, P<0.01). ConclusionsOur research found that although the GQS and mDISCERN scores of BiliBili were higher than those of TikTok and Kwai, the final scores of the three platforms did not exceed 3 points, indicating that the video quality of the three diet video websites was low. Video social media platforms should establish relevant policies to supervise and review the publication of medical science popularization videos, providing reliable sources of information for public health.