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YouTube as a source of information on breast cancer in the Arab world

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Abstract

Background

The general population is increasingly using YouTube as a source of information on breast cancer, the most frequent cancer among women. Arabs are the most interested population in breast cancer on YouTube. The transmission of accurate information is important to reduce mortality rates. This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate breast cancer videos on YouTube in the Arab world.

Methods

A YouTube search for “breast cancer” in Arabic was performed. The most viewed 60 videos included were evaluated for global quality (GQS score), reliability (modified DISCERN score), content (content score), and misleading claims. Recorded and calculated data included views, duration, videos power index, and viewers’ interaction. Sources from legal persons (governments, universities, TV channels, physicians’ groups), and blogs (online health channels, individuals) were categorized.

Results

The median global quality (3/5), reliability (2/5), and content scores (4/11) were overall low. Misleading information was found in 42% of the videos. Although videos uploaded by legal persons were less popular (163,454 vs 327,488 views), they hosted more physicians (52% vs 15%), were less misleading (15% vs 64%), covered more content, and were of higher global quality and reliability than videos uploaded by blogs [p < 0.05]. While the topic of symptoms (55%) was discussed the most, genetic counseling (13%) and prevention (20%) were the least mentioned.

Conclusions

YouTube is poorly informational and inaccurate on breast cancer in the Arab World where it is highly used. Although videos uploaded by legal persons tend to be more adequate, they are of lower popularity. Governments and physicians are encouraged to upload more intelligibly informational videos, guide the population to reliable sources, and support regulations.

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Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The datasets generated during and analyzed during the current study are available in the Figshare repository, https://figshare.com/s/c1a19106e0d67bbe1e48.

Code availability

N/A

Abbreviations

GQS:

Global quality scale

CDC:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hematology-Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

    Georges Ayoub, Elie Chalhoub & Hampig Raphael Kourie

  2. Department of Biostatistics, Faculty of Medicine, Saint-Joseph University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon

    Ghassan Sleilaty

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  1. Georges Ayoub
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  2. Elie Chalhoub
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  4. Hampig Raphael Kourie
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Contributions

All authors were involved in the conception and design of this study. GA and EC conducted the search, screened all videos for eligibility, and performed data extraction. GA, EC, and HRK performed quality assessments, analyzed, and interpreted the data. GS performed the statistical analysis. GA and EC wrote the drafts of the manuscript and all other authors critically revised the different versions of the manuscript. Moreover, all authors were involved in discussing the results and interpreting the findings. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Georges Ayoub.

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Ayoub, G., Chalhoub, E., Sleilaty, G. et al. YouTube as a source of information on breast cancer in the Arab world . Support Care Cancer 29, 8009–8017 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-021-06403-6

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