Analysis of the Brazilian-Portuguese Content on Autism Spectrum Disorder Available on YouTube Videos

Abstract

Aims

Information about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is available in different videos on YouTube. However, these videos might present inaccurate or outdated information. The aims of this study were to 1) identify characteristics of Brazilian-Portuguese videos about ASD (i.e., type of content, number of views, likes, and dislikes); 2) analyze the content of informative videos about ASD, by assessing their trustworthiness and overall quality; and 3) investigate the most popular topics of informative videos about ASD over time.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional study that investigated Brazilian-Portuguese ASD content on YouTube. Videos were selected by two examiners and categorized as experiential or informative. The Discern checklist and the Global Quality Score (GQS) were used to analyze the trustworthiness and quality of informative videos.

Results

In total, 216 videos were analyzed, of which 19.5% and 85% were classified as experiential and informative, respectively. The majority of informative videos presented moderate trustworthiness and quality. Videos about ASD clinical aspects were the most popular.

Conclusion

YouTube offers a large number of experiential and informative videos on ASD. However, some of these videos fail to present reliable and additional sources of information for stakeholders. Efforts to promote knowledge translation about ASD on YouTube are necessary.

Keywords:

• Autism spectrum disorder
• youtube
• trustworthiness
• knowledge translation
• quality

Acknowledgments

We thank the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) and its Pró-Reitoria de Pesquisa for their institutional support, and to CNPq, CAPES and FAPEMIG for financial support and scholarships.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Júlia Cortes Cavalcante

Júlia Cortes Cavalcante is a Physical Therapy student at Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).

Marina Faria Sales

Marina Faria Sales is a Physical Therapy student at Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).

Ricardo Rodrigues de Sousa Junior

Ricardo R. S. Junior is a PhD candidate in the Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences at Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).

Deisiane Oliveira Souto

Deisiane Oliveira Souto is a PhD by the Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences at Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).

Rejane Vale Gonçalves

Rejane Vale Gonçalves is a lecturer and researcher at the Physical Therapy department at Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).

Ana Cristina Resende Camargos

Ana C. R. Camargos is a lecturer and researcher at the Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences at Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).

Hércules Ribeiro Leite

Hércules R. Leite is a lecturer and researcher at the Graduate Program in Rehabilitation Sciences at Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG).