Representations of mpox by healthcare professionals and scientists on TikTok: a qualitative analysis of TikTok content and comments (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Social media is widely used to communicate concerns and information about health-related issues. TikTok is one of the most popular platforms worldwide, especially among younger people. There is a paucity of data on its role during infectious disease outbreaks. OBJECTIVE We describe TikToks made by healthcare professionals (HCPs) and scientists in response to the 2022 clade IIb mpox outbreak, as well as audience engagement. METHODS We conducted a search of TikTok in February 2024 using “monkey pox”, “monkeypox” and “mpox”, recording the top 50 TikToks for each term. We deduplicated this dataset and collected information on engagement (e.g. number of views, comments and likes), as well as content and composition, using a standardised Excel data extraction form designed to captureWe identified twenty-six TikToks by content creators who described themselves as HCPs or scientists. Almost all provided information about mpox and two described the creator’s lived experience of mpox. Avoiding stigma was a key focus; creators often emphasised that anyone could be at risk of mpox acquisition, rather than explicitly linking mpox transmission to sex between men (despite this group being disproportionately impacted during the clade IIb outbreak). A large number of comments on these TikToks were questions about mpox, or reinforced or attempted to mitigate stigma. sound, text and visual aspects of the platform. We conducted a thematic analysis of TikToks and comments. RESULTS We identified twenty-six TikToks by content creators who described themselves as HCPs or scientists. Almost all provided information about mpox and two described the creator’s lived experience of mpox. Avoiding stigma was a key focus; creators often emphasised that anyone could be at risk of mpox acquisition, rather than explicitly linking mpox transmission to sex between men (despite this group being disproportionately impacted during the clade IIb outbreak). A large number of comments on these TikToks were questions about mpox, or reinforced or attempted to mitigate stigma. CONCLUSIONS HCPs and scientists leveraged TikTok to provide information on mpox, whilst making efforts to minimise stigma. Online platforms such as TikTok are key sites for public health messaging during infectious disease outbreaks, with potential to reach younger populations. Our study contributes to the emergent literature on methodological approaches to TikTok analysis for public health research.