Lyme Disease and YouTubeTM: A Cross-Sectional Study of Video Contents.
10.24171/j.phrp.2017.8.4.10
- Author:
Corey H BASCH
1
;
Lindsay A MULLICAN
;
Kwanza D BOONE
;
Jingjing YIN
;
Alyssa BERDNIK
;
Marina E EREMEEVA
;
Isaac Chun Hai FUNG
Author Information
1. Department of Public Health, William Paterson University, Wayne, New Jersey, United States of America.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
health communication;
Lyme disease;
social media
- MeSH:
Cross-Sectional Studies*;
Education;
Health Communication;
Insecticides;
Lyme Disease*;
Protective Clothing;
Public Health;
Social Media;
Tick-Borne Diseases
- From:
Osong Public Health and Research Perspectives
2017;8(4):289-292
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVES: Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease. People seek health information on Lyme disease from YouTube™ videos. In this study, we investigated if the contents of Lyme disease-related YouTube™ videos varied by their sources. METHODS: Most viewed English YouTube™ videos (n = 100) were identified and manually coded for contents and sources. RESULTS: Within the sample, 40 videos were consumer-generated, 31 were internet-based news, 16 were professional, and 13 were TV news. Compared with consumer-generated videos, TV news videos were more likely to mention celebrities (odds ratio [OR], 10.57; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.13–52.58), prevention of Lyme disease through wearing protective clothing (OR, 5.63; 95% CI, 1.23–25.76), and spraying insecticides (OR, 7.71; 95% CI, 1.52–39.05). CONCLUSION: A majority of the most popular Lyme disease-related YouTube™ videos were not created by public health professionals. Responsible reporting and creative video-making facilitate Lyme disease education. Partnership with YouTube™ celebrities to co-develop educational videos may be a future direction.
