Reliability and quality of reflux esophagitis educational videos on TikTok and Bilibili: A cross-sectional study

Social media platforms have become an increasingly important sources for obtaining health information. Short-form videos related to reflux esophagitis (RE) are widely disseminated on Chinese video platforms. The quality and reliability of such content remain unclear. This cross-sectional study analyzed the top 150 RE-related videos from TikTok and Bilibili. Video characteristics, uploader background, and engagement metrics were extracted. Information quality was evaluated using the Global Quality Score (GQS), modified DISCERN and Journal of the American Medical Association benchmark criteria assessment tools. The Mann–Whitney U test or Kruskal–Wallis test was applied for subgroup comparisons, and Spearman rank correlation coefficient was used for correlation analysis. A total of 214 videos met the inclusion criteria, and the overall quality was moderate. The median GQS score was 3 (IQR 2–3), the median modified DISCERN score was 2 (IQR 2–3), and the median Journal of the American Medical Association score was 1 (IQR 1–2). TikTok videos had significantly higher GQS scores than those on Bilibili ( P < .05). Videos uploaded by gastroenterologists received the highest GQS scores ( P < .05). Clinical manifestations were the most frequently discussed topic (75.70%), whereas epidemiology was least represented (13.55%). No significant correlations were found between engagement metrics and quality scores ( P > .05). This study provides a comprehensive evaluation of RE-related short videos across 2 major social media platforms. Uploader professional background, particularly gastroenterology specialization, was a stronger determinant of information quality than engagement metrics. The findings highlight the limitations of popularity-based indicators for identifying credible medical information and underscore the need to promote specialist participation and evidence-informed governance to improve the quality of digital health communication.