YouTube Videos Related to Skin Cancer: A Missed Opportunity for Cancer Prevention and Control

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Abstract

Background

Early detection and treatment influence the mortality risk of skin cancer.

Objective

The objective of this study was to analyze the content of the most viewed professional and consumer videos uploaded to YouTube related to skin cancer.

Methods

A total of 140 professional and consumer videos uploaded between 2007 and 2014 were identified and coded. Coding involved identifying and sorting followed by gathering descriptive information, including length of the video, number of views, and year uploaded. A dichotomous coding scheme (ie, yes or no) was used in coding specific aspects of video content, including provision of information, type of skin cancer, age group, family history, risk reduction, risk factors, fear, and home remedies for skin cancer treatment.

Results

The majority of videos provided information related to screening. Many consumer videos conveyed information related to the use of a black salve as a home remedy for skin cancer, despite the fact that there is no evidence that it is an effective treatment.

Conclusions

Research is needed to identify characteristics of videos that are most likely to be viewed to inform the development of credible communications.

Related collections

Most cited references 12

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Dental Fear and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents: Qualitative Study Using YouTube

Xiaoli Gao, SH Hamzah, Cynthia Yiu … (2013)

Background Dental fear and anxiety (DFA) refers to the fear of and anxiety towards going to the dentist. It exists in a considerable proportion of children and adolescents and is a major dilemma in pediatric dental practice. As an Internet social medium with increasing popularity, the video-sharing website YouTube offers a useful data source for understanding health behaviors and perceptions of the public. Objective Using YouTube as a platform, this qualitative study aimed to examine the manifestations, impacts, and origins of DFA in children and adolescents from the public’s perspective. Methods To retrieve relevant information, we searched YouTube using the keywords “dental fear”, “dental anxiety”, and “dental phobia”. Videos in English expressing a layperson’s views or experience on children’s or adolescent’s DFA were selected for this study. A video was excluded if it had poor audiovisual quality, was irrelevant, was pure advertisement or entertainment, or contained only the views of professionals. After the screen, we transcribed 27 videos involving 32 children and adolescents, which were reviewed by a panel of 3 investigators, including a layperson with no formal dental training. Inductive thematic analysis was applied for coding and interpreting the data. Results The videos revealed multiple manifestations and impacts of DFA, including immediate physical reactions (eg, crying, screaming, and shivering), psychological responses (eg, worry, upset, panic, helplessness, insecurity, resentment, and hatred), and uncooperativeness in dental treatment. Testimonials from children, adolescents, and their parents suggested diverse origins of DFA, namely personal experience (eg, irregular dental visits and influence of parents or peers), dentists and dental auxiliaries (eg, bad manner, lack of clinical skills, and improper work ethic), dental settings (eg, dental chair and sounds), and dental procedures (eg, injections, pain, discomfort, and aesthetic concerns). Conclusions This qualitative study suggests that DFA in children and adolescents has multifaceted manifestations, impacts, and origins, some of which only became apparent when using Internet social media. Our findings support the value of infodemiological studies using Internet social media to gain a better understanding of health issues.

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“People power” or “pester power”? YouTube as a forum for the generation of evidence and patient advocacy☆

Fadhila Mazanderani, Braden O’Neill, John Powell (2013)

Objective Venoplasty has been proposed, alongside the theory of chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI), as a treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). Despite concerns about its efficacy and safety, thousands of patients have undergone the procedure. This paper analyses YouTube videos where patients have shared their treatment experiences. Methods Content analysis on the 100 most viewed videos from over 4000 identified in a search for ‘CCSVI’, and qualitative thematic analysis on popular ‘channels’ demonstrating patients’ experiences. Results Videos adopt an overwhelmingly positive stance towards CCSVI; many were uploaded by patients and present pre- and/or post-treatment experiences. Patients demonstrate rather than merely describe their symptoms, performing tests on themselves before and after treatment to quantify improvement. Videos combine medical terminology and tests with personal experiences of living with MS. Conclusion Social media technologies provide patients with novel opportunities for advocating for particular treatments; generating alternative forms of ‘evidence’ built on a hybrid of personal experience and medical knowledge. Practice implications Healthcare practitioners need to engage with new digital forms of content, including online social media. Instead of disregarding sources not considered ‘evidence-based’, practitioners should enhance their understanding of what ‘experiential-evidence’ is deemed significant to patients, particularly in contested areas of healthcare.

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YouTube as a source of information on rhinosinusitis: the good, the bad and the ugly.

T C Biggs, J Bird, P Harries … (2013)

YouTube is an internet-based repository of user-generated content. This study aimed to determine whether YouTube represented a valid and reliable patient information resource for the lay person on the topic of rhinosinusitis.

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Author and article information

Contributors

Corey H Basch:

William Paterson University143 H WingWayne, NJ, 07470United States1 973 720 26031 973 720 2215baschc@wpunj.edu

ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4862-4229

Journal

Journal ID (nlm-ta): JMIR Cancer

Journal ID (iso-abbrev): JMIR Cancer

Journal ID (publisher-id): JC

Title: JMIR cancer

Publisher: JMIR Publications Inc. (Toronto, Canada )

ISSN (Electronic): 2369-1999

Publication date Collection: Jan-Jun 2015

Publication date (Electronic): 02 March 2015

Volume: 1

Issue: 1

Electronic Location Identifier: e1

Affiliations

[1] ¹William Paterson University Wayne, NJUnited States

[2] ²Teachers College, Columbia University New York, NYUnited States

[3] ³Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University New York, NYUnited States

Author notes

Corresponding Author: Corey H Basch baschc@ 123456wpunj.edu

Author information

Corey H Basch http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4862-4229

Charles E Basch http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8022-0959

Grace Clarke Hillyer http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0467-075X

Rachel Reeves http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6465-6621

Article

Publisher ID: v1i1e1

DOI: 10.2196/cancer.4204

PMC ID: 5367668

PubMed ID: 28410167

SO-VID: 11fd52c2-58ba-482f-bf39-2b830ccddc71

License:

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in JMIR Cancer, is properly cited. The complete bibliographic information, a link to the original publication on http://cancer.jmir.org/, as well as this copyright and license information must be included.

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