Realfood and Cancer: Analysis of the Reliability and Quality of YouTube Content

Sergio Segado-Fernández, Ivan Herrera-Peco, Beatriz Jiménez-Gómez, Carlos Ruiz Núñez, Pedro Jesús Jiménez-Hidalgo, Elvira Benítez de Gracia, Liliana G. González-Rodríguez, Cristina Torres-Ramírez and María del Carmen Lozano-Estevan ()
Additional contact information
Sergio Segado-Fernández: Department of Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Canarias, Calle Inocencio García, 1, La Orotava, 38300 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
Ivan Herrera-Peco: Faculty of Health Sciences, Alfonso X el Sabio University, Avda. Universidad, 1, Villanueva de la Cañada, 28691 Madrid, Spain
Beatriz Jiménez-Gómez: Department of Nursing, Human Nutrition and Dietetics, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Calle Tajo, s/n, Villaviciosa de Odón, 28670 Madrid, Spain
Carlos Ruiz Núñez: Program in Biomedicine, Translational Research and New Health Technologies, School of Medicine, University of Malaga, Blvr. Louis Pasteur, 29010 Málaga, Spain
Pedro Jesús Jiménez-Hidalgo: Traumatology and Orthopedic Surgery Service, Hospital Universitario Nuestra Señora de Candelaria, Ctra. Gral. del Rosario, 145, 38010 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
Elvira Benítez de Gracia: Faculty of Health Sciences, Alfonso X el Sabio University, Avda. Universidad, 1, Villanueva de la Cañada, 28691 Madrid, Spain
Liliana G. González-Rodríguez: VALORNUT-UCM (920030) Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Cristina Torres-Ramírez: Faculty of Health Sciences, Alfonso X el Sabio University, Avda. Universidad, 1, Villanueva de la Cañada, 28691 Madrid, Spain
María del Carmen Lozano-Estevan: VALORNUT-UCM (920030) Research Group, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, Faculty of Pharmacy, Complutense University of Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 6, 1-14

Abstract: This study analyzes the quality and reliability of videos related to nutrition and cancer on YouTube. Study Design: An observational, retrospective, cross-sectional, time-limited study analyzing activity on the social network YouTube was proposed. Methods: The information from the videos was extracted through an API search tool, using the NodeXL software. The criteria to select the videos on YouTube were the keywords “real food”, “realfood”, and “cancer” and the hashtags #realfood and #cancer were present, videos in English and videos available on 1 December 2022. Results: The DISCERN value in the total number of videos viewed was 2.25 (±0.88) points, indicating low reliability. The videos uploaded by HRU represented only 20.8%. Videos suggesting that the use of foods defined as “real food” could cure cancer without the intervention of any other treatment accounted for 12.5%. Videos that provided external links to scientific/technical evidence verifying the information represented only 13.89% of the total number of videos. Of these videos, 70% corresponded to HRU. The DISCERN value for videos from HRU users was 3.05 (0.88), a value that reflects a good reliability of videos from these users. Conclusions: This study provides information on the content and quality of the videos that we can find on YouTube. We found videos of non-health users who do not base their content on any scientific evidence, with the danger that this entails for the population, but it also highlights that the videos published by HRU have greater reliability and quality, being better perceived by the population, so it is important to encourage healthcare professionals and health institutions to share verified information on YouTube.

Keywords: detection; health misinformation; healthcare professionals; public health; social media; cancer; diet (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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