Tiktok as a source of information for migraine: a content quality analysis

Abstract Background Migraine is one of the most common neurological conditions affecting people worldwide. Migraine is the second leading cause of global burden of neurological diseases. Studies have found the information on TikTok on migraine to be inaccurate, yet it has been a source health information among the public. Objective The objective of the study was to describe the TikTok videos discussing migraine, to evaluate its content in terms of reliability, quality, and understandability, and investigate factors of these videos. Methods A search was conducted using the keyword “#migraine” and the top videos were assessed by two independent raters. Video parameters such as type of uploader, views, likes, comments, shares, and duration were also collected. Results Evaluated videos had low quality and reliability on Global Quality Scale (GQS) and modified DISCERN tool, with low understandability and actionability. Higher scores overall in Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT) showed positive correlation with higher scores on GQS. Video length (in seconds) had a positive correlation with GQS and PEMAT scores (length with GQS r = 0.393 [p < 0.001]; length with PEMAT Total r = 0.420 [p <0.001]). Conclusion TikTok videos on migraine were found to be of low quality, reliability, and understandability. These findings highlight the role of social media in contributing to the health illiteracy of its audiences, further lobbying that healthcare institutions should create official social media accounts to spread reliable health information to the public on migraine.