A content analysis of the reliability and quality of information provided on social media for hypothyroidism

Tarinee Khanna; Horvatic Stefanie Salamunec; Mohammed BinMahfooz; Eoin Noctor; Audrey Melvin; Hannon Anne Marie

doi:10.1530/endoabs.109.OP4.3

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Endocrine Abstracts (2025) 109 OP4.3 | DOI: 10.1530/endoabs.109.OP4.3

SFEBES2025 Poster Oral Presentations Thyroid and Reproduction (4 abstracts)

A content analysis of the reliability and quality of information provided on social media for hypothyroidism

Tarinee Khanna , Stefanie Salamunec Horvatic , Mohammed BinMahfooz , Eoin Noctor , Audrey Melvin & Anne Marie Hannon

Author affiliations

Department of Endocrinology, University Hospital Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

Background: The increasing popularity of social media has made it a significant resource for sharing health-related information, including insights on medical conditions such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and hypothyroidism. This study aims to assess the quality and reliability of these videos.

Methods: The social media platforms TikTok, Instagram (reels), and YouTube were explored using the search terms ‘Hypothyroidism,’ ‘Hashimoto’s,’ and ‘TPO antibody.’ The top 50 videos for each search term (450 total) were screened between 30th September 2024 and 28th October 2024. Relevant videos were assessed for reliability and quality using the modified DISCERN score and Global Quality Score (GQS) by two doctors whose scores were averaged. Additional data, such as video length, upload date, and user engagement via likes, comments and shares, was also collected.

Results: A total of 379 videos were included in this study. The average number of likes, views, shares and comments for all the videos were 95231.76, 339253.73, 2792.57 and 490.22 respectively. The median for the modified-DISCERN scores and GQS was 1.7 (1.4-2.3) and 2 (1.5-2.5) respectively. 90.2% (342) of the videos had a score of less than 3 on the modified DISCERN while 75.7% of scores were less than 3 on the GQS.

Table of median LoS for hyperglycaemia/non-hyperglycaemia:
	Median Modified-Discern (IQR)	Median GQS (IQR)
Reels	1.5 (1.2-1.8)	2 (1.5-2)
TikTok	1.5 (1.2-1.8)	2 (1.5-2)
Youtube	2.5 (2-3.1)	3 (2-4)
	Median Modified-Discern (IQR)	Median GQS (IQR)
Hypothyroidism	1.5 (1.2-2.3)	2 (1.5-3)
Hashimotos	1.6 (1.4-2.3)	2 (1.5-2.5)
Anti-TPO antibody	1.9 (1.6-2.3)	2 (2-2.5)

Conclusion: In conclusion, the modified-DISCERN and GQS scores were poor through the different social media sites. Thus, individuals should be cautious whilst attaining medical information about hypothyroidism and hashimotos from these sites. Health care professionals need to engage more with social media and promote evidence-based information to the public.