Quality of Reliability of information on H3N2 Influenza in Youtube: A Cross-sectiinal Study

Abstract

Introduction: Influenza is a highly communicable viral respiratory illness known to cause outbreaks, such as the current H3N2 outbreak in India. YouTube is one of the most popular sources to obtain information regarding symptoms, treatments, and prevention of diseases like influenza in the general public. Aim: To assess the quality and reliability of information related to H3N2 influenza using the Global Quality Score (GQS) and reliability score, respectively. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate the type of information, quality, and reliability of videos about Influenza H3N2 on YouTube using the GQS and the Reliability Score (DISCERN) scale, respectively. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess differences in quality and reliability depending on the type of uploader. Results: The study found that 85% of videos focused on prevention/vaccination, 83.3% discussed the cause/aetiology of influenza, while only 31.7% covered investigations/tests. News agencies uploaded the most videos (46.7%), followed by doctors (18.3%), with minimal contribution from hospitals (8.3%). News agencies had the highest Video Power Index (VPI) compared to other groups, and there were no significant differences in GQS score across different groups. Conclusion: Verified information from proper resources should be uploaded by responsible healthcare professionals like doctors and health organisations. The videos should have an exceptional reliability score and Global Quality Index. The quality of content should be easy to understand for the general public and should provide additional sources of information, educating the viewer to contact his/her physician concerning the diagnosis and further evaluation of the same.