Objective: To describe the quality and health literacy demand of publicly available diet-related videos on YouTube for people with polycystic kidney disease (PKD).
Design and methods: This desk-based content analyzed involved a comprehensive search of YouTube using key words relating to the dietary management of people with PKD. The health literacy demand was evaluated using the Patient Education Material Assessment Tool (PEMAT) for audio-visual materials. A PEMAT score of >70% is indicative of videos that are understandable and actionable.
Results: A total of 15 videos were evaluated (median 1.28 minutes duration (range: 55 seconds-81 minutes). The majority were produced by reputable sources (such as a PKD-related charity (n = 12) or a nephrologist (n = 2). The quality of the videos was high with the majority (14/15) providing evidence-based advice. The understandability and actionability of the videos were considered low (median PEMAT score 67% (interquartile range: 51.4-81.7) and 66.83% (interquartile range: 50-67), respectively.
Conclusion: There has been a small increase in the number of diet-related videos for people with PKD in the past 5 years. The majority provide evidence-based information, which is also a substantial improvement since the last analysis in 2015. Unfortunately, the health literacy demand of these resources remains suboptimal, and future work should be directed to improving the understandability and actionability of videos.
Keywords: PKD; YouTube; content analysis; diet; evidence-based; health literacy; nutrition.
Copyright © 2022 National Kidney Foundation, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.