Assessment of information quality and reliability on lumbar disc herniation in short videos from Douyin

Lumbar disc herniation is a common cause of neurological symptoms and is associated with substantial decreases in health-related quality of life. Douyin has emerged as a leading social media platform, and an increasing number of users seek information on lumbar disc herniation there. However, the quality of such content remains insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to evaluate the informational quality of Douyin short videos related to lumbar disc herniation. Using a cross-sectional design, we retrieved the top 100 videos related to lumbar disc herniation from the Douyin platform on October 17, 2025, using the default ranking. Video quality and reliability were evaluated with the Global Quality Scale (GQS) and the modified DISCERN (mDISCERN) tools. Videos were compared across uploader categories, and correlation analyses were conducted to examine factors potentially associated with video quality. Among the 96 videos related to lumbar disc herniation ultimately included in the analysis, the median duration was 71 s. The median counts were 17,240 likes, 9,749 collections, 1,041 comments, and 6,830 shares. Overall information quality was modest, and reliability was low. Differences in GQS and mDISCERN scores across uploader groups were not statistically significant. Correlation analyses indicated that the numbers of likes, comments, collections, and shares were not associated with video quality. The quality of Douyin videos related to lumbar disc herniation warrants improvement. Establishing minimum quality standards for health education videos is essential to ensure that the public receives trustworthy information.