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Session: ePoster: Colon and Colorectal Cancer 21 (Sat315)

EP117 - Accuracy and Quality of Popular Colon Cancer Screening Content on Youtube

Saturday, May 10, 2025
3:25 PM – 3:30 PM PT
Location: Monitor 3, Sails Pavilion, Upper Level

    Author(s)

  • Harry H. Kim, MD (he/him/his)

    Resident
    Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center, CA, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

    • ePoster Presenter(s)

  • Elaine Liang, BA (she/her/hers)

    Medical Student
    Kaiser Permanente Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine
    Pasadena, CA, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

    • Author(s)

  • VA

    Vikram Attaluri, MD

    Attending Surgeon
    Kaiser Permanente
    Los Angeles, California, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

  • AL

    Anna M. Leung, MD, FACS,FSSO

    Associate Professor of Surgery
    Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center
    Los Angeles, California, United States

    Disclosure information not submitted.

    • Senior Author(s)

  • MT

    Michael S. Tam, MD

    Colorectal Surgeon
    Kaiser Permanente Riverside
    Riverside, California, United States

    All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
    This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.

All of the relevant financial relationships listed below have been mitigated.
Harry Kim, MD: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.
Michael S. Tam, MD: This individual has no financial relationships with ineligible companies.
Image or Table (Do Not add text here):

Purpose/Background: Colon cancer is the second most common cause of cancer related death in the United States. The accuracy and quality of popular online content regarding colon cancer screening is unknown, particularly following recent screening guideline changes by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) and the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Furthermore, while colon cancer affects different races at disparate rates, racial/ethnic representation within this area is poorly studied. This study aims to assess the quality, accuracy and racial/ethnic representation of popular Youtube videos on colon cancer screening guidelines.

Methods/Interventions: The most viewed Youtube videos for the search term “colon cancer screening” were queried in a private, cache-cleared browser. The 50 most viewed English videos under 12 minutes were included. All videos were analyzed and pooled using validated tools for assessing consumer health information quality (DISCERN and PEMAT). High quality scores were defined as DISCERN ≥4, PEMAT understandability ≥75%, and PEMAT actionability ≥75%. A 5 point Likert scale was used to assess the accuracy of content relative to latest USPSTF and ACS guidelines. Race/ethnicity of individuals in videos were assessed by each analyst and data was pooled. The top 25 (T25) and bottom 25 (B25) videos by monthly views were compared. Statistical significance was assessed with chi-squared and t-test.

Results/Outcomes: T25 videos on average had more views (345,000 vs. 23,500, p < 0.01) and more likes (2,490 vs. 146, p < 0.01) than B25 videos. T25 videos were more likely to be published in the years 2021 and after (80 vs. 16%, p < 0.01). T25 videos were more likely to provide age-specific recommendations (60 vs. 40%, p = 0.05). However, T25 videos were less likely to discuss sigmoidoscopy (10 vs. 26%, p = 0.04) and gFOBT (20 vs. 38%, p = 0.05) screening tests. T25 videos were rated lower on discussing benefits of screening (4 vs 26%, p < 0.01), but rated higher on understandability (68 vs. 42%, p < 0.01) and actionability (48 vs. 28%, p = 0.04). Racial/ethnic representation was comparable in both groups, with perceived Black and Hispanic representation present in 36% and 16% of T25 videos and 30% and 22% of B25 videos. Though both groups rarely discussed the increased risk of colon cancer in the Black population (14 vs 4%, p = 0.08), the accuracy of content based on ACS and USPSTF guidelines were equivalent.

Conclusion/Discussion: Youtube videos on colon cancer screening are accurate overall. While the T25 videos may be more approachable due to better understandability and actionability, they may not be as thorough in their discussion of different screening tests. Racial/ethnic representation in popular Youtube content is diverse, but all videos can benefit from increased discussion of high risk racial/ethnic groups.