Quality, Reliability, and Content Evaluation of YouTube Videos on Childhood Vaccines

Yıl 2025, Cilt: 25 Sayı: 3, 153 - 162, 31.10.2025

Kübra Yakışır , Ateş Kara

https://doi.org/10.26650/jchild.2025.1694806

Öz

Objective: In recent years, the growing hesitancy toward childhood vaccines, along with pronounced temporal and regional differences, has made the rapid dissemination of accurate and reliable information imperative. Digital media, particularly the video sharing platform YouTube, has become an important source for parents seeking health-related information. This study aimed to evaluate the content quality, reliability, and viewer engagement levels of YouTube videos related to childhood vaccines. The videos were assessed based on criteria such as the accuracy of the information provided, scientific basis, content richness, and audience engagement. This evaluation will understand the extent to which parents can access accurate and adequate information about childhood vaccines via YouTube.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional and descriptive study quantitatively analyzed Turkish-language YouTube videos on childhood vaccines. On February 13, 2025, a search using predefined keywords identified 239 videos. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 96 videos were selected for analysis. Video sources, content types, and information reliability were assessed using the modified DISCERN scale and the Global Quality Scale (GQS). Data such as the number of views, video duration (in minutes), days since upload, number of likes, and view rate were recorded in Microsoft Excel® 2021 and analyzed using IBM SPSS V27. Chi-square tests were used for categorical variables, while Mann–Whitney U and KruskalWallis tests were applied to non-normally distributed data. To ensure reliability, two independent researchers evaluated a random sample of 10 videos, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated.

Results: The mean reliability score of the 96 analyzed videos, measured using the modified DISCERN scale, was 2.99 ± 1.36. The mean GQS score was 3.70 ± 1.31, with 40.6% of the videos rated excellent quality and 17.7% as good quality. Video duration showed a positive and significant correlation with both the GQS score (r = 0.500, p < 0.001) and the DISCERN reliability score (r = 0.497, p < 0.001). Longer videos with higher numbers of likes and comments were perceived by users as having higher quality and reliability.

Conclusion: YouTube videos on childhood vaccines serve as an important source of information for parents and the public. As the video length increases, both information reliability and content quality tend to improve. Producing scientifically based content by healthcare professionals can facilitate access to reliable information on vaccination. To counter vaccinerelated misinformation, health authorities should support verified content and evaluate its long-term impact.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Immunization , Childhood vaccines , YouTube , DISCERN scale , Global Quality Scale (GQS) , Social media , Vaccine communication

Kaynakça

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