Professional content analysis and quality assessment of ovarian cancer related videos on social media platforms: A comparative study of YouTube, Bilibili, TikTok, and Kwai

Background Ovarian cancer (OC), which is a malignant tumor, poses a serious threat to women’s health globally and is recognized as one of the principal causes of cancer-specific mortality in women. Social media platforms are widely utilized for the dissemination of health-related information due to their visual appeal and entertainment value. The aim of this study is to evaluate the content, quality, and reliability of information pertaining to OC available via the domestic short-video platforms. Methods A systematic search was performed across four video-sharing platforms. The search term “ovarian cancer” was used for YouTube, while its Chinese equivalent “卵巢癌” was employed for Bilibili, TikTok, and Kwai. From each platform, the top 100 videos retrieved by the respective search were collected and included in the analysis. Two independent reviewers assessed video quality using four standardized instruments: the Global Quality Scale (GQS), the Video Information and Quality Index (VIQI), the modified DISCERN tool (mDISCERN), and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT). The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was adopted to assess inter-rater reliability. Statistical analysis was conducted with nonparametric tests and Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient. Results This study analyzed 320 OC-related videos on the four short-video platforms, including 82 YouTube videos, 70 Bilibili videos, 86 TikTok videos, and 82 Kwai videos. Among the four platforms, Bilibili provides more comprehensive parametric documentation, including video duration, upload date, views, likes, comments, saves, and shares. Kwai demonstrated significantly elevated 30-day user engagement metrics in terms of likes, comments, saves, and shares. Videos produced by the professionals achieved markedly higher quality scores compared with non-professional content (p<0.001). Moreover, medical professionals were notably active across the four major platforms studied. On TikTok, although content based on personal experience ranked second in prevalence, such videos often lacked scientific rigor and provided limited practical guidance. There exists a significant positive correlation between video content quality and user engagement on TikTok, whereas a significant negative association is observed on Kwai. Conclusions OC-related health information diverges distinctly across four digital platforms: YouTube hosts credible clinical guidelines and peer-reviewed content. Bilibili delivers structured academic discussions on pathophysiology and therapies to younger, educated groups. TikTok uses algorithm-driven short videos for viral, engaging symptom awareness. Kwai relies on patient narratives to boost health literacy in rural and semi-urban underserved populations. These findings highlight the need to strategically leverage platform-specific strengths for evidence-based gynecologic oncology communication.