Quality and Patient Education Value of Vaginitis Videos on YouTube: A Content Analysis

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the content, characteristics, and quality of the most-viewed YouTube videos on vaginitis, assessing their accuracy and potential role in patient education.Materials and Methods: On December 26, 2025, a new YouTube account was used to search “vaginitis” and “vaginal infection.” The first 100 videos were screened; 53 were excluded due to non-English language, lack of audiovisual content, or duplication, leaving 47 videos for analysis. Videos were categorized by content (disease explanation, treatment, personal experiences, other) and by uploader (academic, physician, paramedic, commercial, patient), further grouped as medical vs. non-medical. Video metrics (views, likes, like-to-view ratio, views per 1,000, Video Power Index VPI) and quality scores were recorded. Data were analyzed using the Mann–Whitney U and Fisher’s exact tests; interrater reliability was assessed with ICC.Results: Of the videos, 72.3% covered disease explanations, 12.8% other topics, 10.6% personal experiences, and 4.3% preventive measures. Uploaders were physicians (46.8%), academics (27.7%), commercial sources (12.8%), patients (8.5%), and paramedics (4.3%). Median views were 55,337 (range: 581–11,041,478), median likes were 402 (range: 11–295,000). VPI did not differ significantly between professional and non-professional sources (6.06 ± 30.80 vs. 2.29 ± 4.53; p=0.451), but quality scores were higher for professional sources (9.70 ± 4.03 vs. 6.20 ± 2.39; p=0.014). Videos uploaded in 2021 or later had higher VPI than earlier ones (0.556 vs. 0.114; p=0.003), with no significant difference in quality (p=0.083).Conclusion: Most YouTube videos on vaginitis focus on definitions, with limited guidance on prevention or self-care. While professional sources provide higher-quality content, engagement metrics do not correlate with reliability. Promotion of expert-led videos and automated quality control measures is warranted.Keywords: Vaginitis, Vaginal infection, YouTube,