Background Plantar fasciitis is a common condition that impacts patients’ motor function and quality of life. As short video platforms such as TikTok and Bilibili become increasingly popular for information seeking, patients are turning to them for health guidance, yet the quality of this content varies significantly. This cross-sectional study was designed to systematically evaluate the quality, reliability, and content completeness of plantar fasciitis videos on TikTok (Chinese TikTok, Douyin) and Bilibili. Methods A total of 158 videos were collected and assessed using the global quality score (GQS), modified DISCERN (mDISCERN), and JAMA benchmarks, while uploader identity and user interaction data were also analyzed. Results Compared with Bilibili videos, higher GQS scores were observed for TikTok videos (p = 0.003), whereas no significant between-platform differences were observed for mDISCERN (p = 0.496) or JAMA (p = 0.103). User engagement was also higher on TikTok. Professionally uploaded content, particularly from medical personnel, significantly outperformed videos from nonprofessional sources in terms of quality and reliability (p < 0.001). In terms of content, a significant gap was identified: 91.8% (n=145) of the videos addressed treatment, whereas only 15.8% (n=25) mentioned prevention. Crucially, correlation analysis revealed no significant associations between user engagement metrics (e.g., likes, shares) and GQS, mDISCERN, or content completeness scores. Conclusion These findings reveal a dual role for short video platforms in plantar fasciitis information dissemination: they not only enhance public access but also risk spreading low-quality content due to inadequate oversight. Enhanced credential verification for health creators, greater involvement of medical institutions in content creation, and improved public education to prioritize verified sources are therefore warranted.
Wang et al. (Sun,) studied this question.