Medical Professionals’ Review of YouTube Videos Pertaining to Exercises for the Constipation Relief

Abstract

Background/Aims: The primary aims of this study were to evaluate the content quality of YouTube videos on exercises to help relieve constipation and to assess whether the video source, exercise types, and popularity affected their quality.

Methods: Eight gastroenterologists independently evaluated the exercises presented in the constipation YouTube videos for seven items: image quality, usefulness in relieving constipation (quality 1), usefulness for general physical health (quality 2), difficulty in following, activity intensity, fun, and overall quality. Raters were asked open-ended questions to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the videos. Five-point ordinal scales were used to score each item aforementioned, with the exception of image quality and overall quality that used a six-point Likert scale.

Results: The 20 videos had a mean length of 268 seconds and a mean viewership of 32,694. The most common video source was commercial (n=10), and the most common type of physical activity was yoga (n=11). The median values of image quality, quality 1, quality 2, difficulty in following, activity intensity, fun, and overall quality were 3, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, and 2, respectively. Yoga videos had significantly higher median quality 1 values (3) compared with massage videos (2, adjusted p=0.006) and ‘others’ videos (2, adjusted p<0.001). A lack of medical evidence was the most common answer to open-ended questions about the weaknesses of each video.

Conclusions: Overall, YouTube exercise videos presented a low-quality content. This study highlights the need for evidence-based comprehensive educational videos addressing exercises for treating constipation.