Quality, reliability and popularity assessment of Turkish YouTube videos on human papillomavirus and its vaccine: content analysis

TL;DR

This study evaluates the quality and reliability of Turkish YouTube videos about HPV and its vaccine, finding that most are not very informative or trustworthy.

Contribution

The study introduces a systematic evaluation of Turkish YouTube content on HPV vaccination using DISCERN, JAMA, and VPI metrics.

Findings

Most videos (52.9%) were created by healthcare professionals, but overall quality and reliability scores were low.

Only 1.9% of videos expressed anti-vaccine views, while 58.5% recommended the HPV vaccine.

Higher quality information was found in longer videos by professionals, but this did not correlate with popularity.

Abstract

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is among the most common sexually transmitted viral infections and is associated with significant health burdens, including genital warts and various cancers. YouTube has emerged as a frequently used platform for accessing health-related information, yet the quality and reliability of such content remain uncertain. Individuals seeking information about HPV and its vaccine frequently turn to YouTube, underscoring the need for systematic evaluation of online video content related to HPV vaccination, given its potential to directly influence public engagement and vaccine acceptance. Analyzing YouTube videos provides insight into the level of information users are exposed to, the potential risks of misinformation, and the overall reliability of health-related digital content. Such evaluations contribute to strengthening public health strategies and support efforts to enhance access to accurate and trustworthy information.

This study aimed to evaluate the information quality, reliability, and popularity of Turkish-language YouTube videos related to HPV and the HPV vaccine.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on the YouTube platform using the keywords ‘HPV,’ ‘HPV vaccine (“HPV aşısı”),’ and ‘human papillomavirus,’ and the videos were viewed between July 1 and 31, 2025. The first 200 videos for each keyword were screened, and those meeting the inclusion criteria were analyzed. Video characteristics (e.g., duration, views, likes, comments, like ratio) and content features (e.g., type, source, presentation format, narrator, purpose, citation of sources, recency, vaccine recommendations, anti-vaccine stance) were recorded. Information quality was assessed using the DISCERN instrument (16–80), reliability using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) Benchmark criteria (0–4), and popularity using the Video Power Index (VPI). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, t-tests, ANOVA, chi-square tests, and Pearson correlation analysis, with P < .05 considered significant.

A total of 600 videos were analyzed, with 270 of them meeting the inclusion criteria. The mean duration was 5.62 ± 13.98 minutes (range: 0.12–147), and the mean number of views was 35,829.5 ± 156,796.8 (range: 131–2,260,592). The mean DISCERN, JAMA, and VPI scores of the videos were calculated as 47.6 ± 15.1 (range: 16–80), 1.9 ± 0.9 (range: 0–4), and 82.9 ± 318.6 (range: 0–3,980), respectively. More than half of the videoswere prepared by healthcare professionals (52.9%, n = 143). When categorized by content, a relatively large proportion of the videos focused on vaccination (40.4%, n = 109). A substantial proportion of the videos (58.5%, n = 158) explicitly recommended the HPV vaccine, while only a small proportion (1.9%, n = 5) expressed an anti-vaccine stance. As videos are presented by healthcare professionals and their duration increases, the quality of information improves; however, this quality does not appear to be directly associated with popularity.

Currently, YouTube has become a frequently utilized platform for sharing health information. However, a significant portion of the analyzed HPV-related content is inadequate in terms of information quality and reliability. Promoting longer-duration, current and evidence-based videos prepared by healthcare professionals that cite reliable sources may contribute to the improvement of digital health literacy in the general population.

Figures