The quality and reliability of short videos about Sjögren syndrome on TikTok and Bilibili: A cross-sectional study

Short video platforms have become significant sources of health information, yet evidence on the quality and reliability of Sjögren syndrome (SS)-related short videos is limited, particularly with respect to comparative assessments across different platforms. This study aimed to evaluate the quality and reliability of short videos of SS on TikTok and Bilibili. A cross-sectional study was conducted in China by searching predefined SS-related keywords on TikTok and Bilibili. Searches were performed up to October 7, 2025, and the top 120 videos from each platform were included (n = 240). Video characteristics, content categories, and uploader types were extracted. Information quality and reliability were assessed using the Global Quality Scale (GQS; higher scores indicate better overall educational quality) and modified DISCERN (mDISCERN; higher scores indicate greater reliability and better-quality health information). Chi-square tests were used to assess differences in platform distributions, while the Mann-Whitney U test compared engagement data and quality scores between TikTok and Bilibili. Spearman rank correlation (ρ) was used to assess associations between engagement metrics and quality scores. Of the 220 videos analyzed (TikTok: 108; Bilibili: 112), content predominantly covered symptoms (176, 80.0%), diagnosis (118, 53.6%), and treatment (78, 35.4%), whereas epidemiology (32, 14.5%), etiology (54, 24.5%), and prevention (41, 18.6%) were less frequent. Among uploaders, specialists contributed the largest share of videos (n = 147), whereas nonspecialists and individual users accounted for fewer videos (n = 43 and n = 30, respectively). The overall median GQS and mDISCERN scores were both 2.00 (interquartile range: 2.00-3.00), indicating suboptimal quality. Videos uploaded by specialists exhibited significantly higher GQS and mDISCERN scores than those uploaded by nonspecialists or individual users (P < .0001). Engagement metrics were weakly correlated with quality scores. SS-related short videos on TikTok and Bilibili in China showed suboptimal information quality and reliability and uneven topic coverage, with epidemiology, etiology, and prevention being underrepresented. Videos uploaded by specialists were associated with higher GQS and mDISCERN scores. These findings highlight the need for better regulation and monitoring of health content on short video platforms.