Evaluation of YouTube Videos via DISCERN, GQS, JAMA, and VIQI Tools: Traditional Complementary Feeding (TFC) vs Baby-Led Weaning (BLW) in Infants

Aim: This study aims to examine the content of the videos about traditional complementary feeding (TCF) or complementary feeding (CF) vs baby-led weaning (BLW) on the YouTube social media platform. Method: The 250 videos obtained by a researcher dietitian typing “Complementary feeding in infants” and “BLW feeding in infants” in English and Turkish in the search tab on the YouTube platform, with a view count of 10,000 or more, between 2015 and 2024, were watched by a study participant. The watched videos were evaluated using DISCERN (Quality Criteria for Consumer Health Information), GQS (Global Quality Score), JAMA (The Journal of the American Medical Association), and VIQI (Video Information and Quality Index). The data obtained were statistically evaluated using the SPSS 21.0 package program. Findings: 40.8% of the videos were found to be at a moderate level according to DISCERN classification, and 46.8% were at a high level according to GQS classification. There was a difference between BLW and complementary feeding videos in terms of video duration, number of views, and VIQI2 score (p<0.05). While 54.5% of the videos published in Türkiye were found to be poor according to the DISCERN category, 34.9% of the videos published in other countries were found to be weak (p=0.001). While 22.6% of the videos where the person in the video was a dietitian were poorer according to the DISCERN category, 83.8% of the videos where the person in the video was an influencer were found to be weak (p=0.001). Conclusion: The most popular videos were found to be those featuring influencers. The quality of videos featuring dietitians was higher than that of the videos featuring influencers. The videos of dietitians and physicians are more fluent and convey more information.