Table 2_Public health communication and information quality of knee osteoarthritis–related short videos on TikTok, Kwai, and Bilibili: a cross-sectional study.xlsx

Uploaders were categorized by source type. Statistical analyses included the Kruskal–Wallis H test, chi-square test, and Spearman correlation analysis.</p>Results<p>Substantial cross-platform differences were identified. Bilibili videos had the longest duration (median 402 s) and the highest information quality, with superior DISCERN scores (median 32), GQS (mean 4.3), and CS (mean 7), and had the highest proportion of certified medical professionals among uploaders (38.0%).

TikTok videos were the shortest (median 86 s) but showed the highest user engagement, including likes, comments, shares, and the highest ES (median 3.6). TikTok and Kwai videos were generally less complete, focusing mainly on symptoms and treatment while providing limited information on etiology and prognosis. Correlation analysis showed that higher information quality and completeness were negatively associated with user interaction metrics, whereas ES was positively associated with engagement.</p>Conclusions<p>The three major short-video platforms in China represent distinct digital health information ecosystems for KOA, revealing a consistent trade-off between scientific rigor and audience engagement.

Platform recommendation mechanisms may may preferentially surface content that is more attractive and interactive rather than more accurate and comprehensive. These findings highlight an important public health challenge in the governance of online health information and suggest that improving chronic disease communication on social media will require both stronger platform-level quality prioritization and more engaging evidence-based content produced by health professionals.</p>