Quality and reliability of online health information on benign paroxysmal positional vertigo in TikTok and Bilibili short videos: A cross-sectional content analysis

Objective Social media has become an important channel for obtaining information about vertigo. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is the most common peripheral vestibular disorder, yet the quality and reliability of BPPV-related content on social media platforms remain limited. Inaccurate information may mislead patients or encourage inappropriate self-management. This study quantitatively assessed the quality and reliability of BPPV-related short videos on Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) and Bilibili. Methods On September 28, 2025, videos about BPPV on Douyin and Bilibili were retrieved, and various key information such as video types, content, parameters, and user participation was extracted. The Global Quality Scale (GQS) and modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) were used to evaluate video quality and reliability, and non-parametric testing, correlation analysis, and multivariable logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results The quality and reliability of BPPV videos on Douyin and Bilibili were rated as fair quality (median GQS = 3) and low reliability (median mDISCERN = 2). Doctors were the main uploaders, but their scores were close to the overall average. User engagement (likes, collections, comments, shares) was highly correlated but had no relationship with video quality. The duration of videos with high user participation was 60–180 seconds on Douyin and 150–300 seconds on Bilibili. Longer duration independently predicted higher video quality (OR = 1.003, P = 0.024). Conclusions The quality and reliability of BPPV short videos on Douyin and Bilibili were suboptimal. Improving this situation requires the joint efforts of doctors, patients, and social platforms.