Analysis of YouTube Videos on Circumcision: Evaluating Reliability and Quality for Patients and Parents

Abstract

Objective: Circumcision is a significant issue for child health and parents, and the reliability and quality of information published on platforms like YouTube can affect patients' access to accurate information. This study aimed to evaluate the quality and reliability of Turkish YouTube videos as a source of information about circumcision.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, a search was conducted on YouTube using the keyword "circumcision" on June 1, 2024. After applying exclusion criteria, the 45 most viewed Turkish videos (more than 10,000 views) were included in the study. Videos that were irrelevant, contained advertisements, personal experiences, or were in languages other than Turkish were excluded. The duration, view count, likes, dislikes, number of comments, and upload date of the videos were recorded. The Video Power Index (VPI) was calculated to measure video popularity. Two pediatric surgeons independently assessed the quality and reliability of the videos using the Modified DISCERN (mDISCERN), Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and Global Quality Scale (GQS) scores. Scale scores were compared between groups based on the purpose and publisher of the video using the Mann-Whitney U test. Correlations between video characteristics and scale scores were evaluated with the Spearman correlation coefficient, and inter-observer agreement was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC).

Results: According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 39 (86.7%) of the 45 videos were informational, and 6 (13.3%) were surgical. The average length of the videos was 213.5 ± 206 (35 - 1164) seconds. The average duration since the videos were published until June 1, 2024, was 1653 ± 980 (350 - 3985) days. The average view count of the videos was 73,862 ± 114,210 (11,736 – 679,985). The average Video Power Index of the videos was 39.9 ± 40.85 (3.69 - 247.1). The average mDISCERN score was 2.87 ± 1.24, the JAMA score was 2.71 ± 0.7, and the GQS score was 3.38 ± 1.19. According to the GQS scale, 22.3% (n=10) of the 45 videos were of low quality, 33.3% (n=15) were of medium quality, and 44.4% (n=20) were of high quality. All scale scores of informational videos were statistically significantly greater compared to the surgical videos (P=0.008, P=0.041, P=0.024, respectively).

Conclusion: YouTube is a significant source of information with the potential to influence the knowledge and behavior of a wide audience regarding circumcision. Patients and their relatives should consider videos uploaded by expert physicians. There is a need for more high-quality educational surgical circumcision videos and short, clear, unbiased, high-quality informational videos addressing controversial issues and containing necessary resources created by expert physicians. This will help increase the accurate knowledge of families about circumcision and consequently reduce unnecessary anxiety and expectations.