Abstract

Objective: This study aims to categorize TikTok information shared under “#coronavirusvaccine”, find insight on content creators status as a healthcare professional, and analyze the most popular content on TikTok.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was used to analyze TikTok videos in the top 100 “Most Liked” videos under “#coronavirusvaccine”. Total views, likes, comments, and shares were collected as well as categorization of video content and video creator profiles.

Outcomes: Among the 100 videos collected, 87% of content creators were non-healthcare professionals. 96% of content was accurate. Both healthcare and non-healthcare professionals were found to have made videos with misinformation. The most popular category of video was “Comedy”. UNICEF was the only major health organization within the top 100 most liked videos under “#coronavirusvaccine”. Videos with comedy had a tendency to gather the largest number of likes. Videos by healthcare professionals were most likely to be video logs or informative in nature.

Discussion: Greater utilization of comedy by healthcare professionals may provide opportunities to share information with a wider audience. Partnerships between organizations as shown by UNICEF may also be beneficial for major organizations when using TikTok.