How do features in health short-form videos impact viewer engagement: an empirical study

Purpose Health short-form videos serve as a vital medium for disseminating health and medical information, offering significant convenience for public health and medical education. However, the factors influencing viewer engagement in this specific context remain unclear. This study aims to address this research gap by investigating the impact of visual and auditory features of health short-form videos on viewer engagement behaviors (likes, comments and shares), drawing on the communication accommodation theory (CAT) and visual-auditory dimension. Design/methodology/approach The authors collected 901 observations of health communication short-form videos from the TikTok platform. Findings The results indicate that visual features, including content type, specially crafted covers, and professionalism of titles, as well as auditory features, including the speaker’s speech rate, spectral centroid and expression professionalism, significantly influence viewer engagement behavior. Originality/value This study provides insights into the factors determining viewer engagement behavior in health short-form videos, enriching the application of CAT and the visual-auditory dimension. It also offers detailed recommendations for video creators and provides guidance for healthcare professionals and health information communicators.