Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 May 1;19(5):991-994.
doi: 10.5664/jcsm.10520.

Examining understandability, information quality, and presence of misinformation in popular YouTube videos on sleep compared to expert-led videos

Rebecca Robbins  1   2 , Lawrence J Epstein  1   2 , Jay M Iyer  3 , Matthew D Weaver  1   2 , Sogol Javaheri  1   2 , Olabimpe Fashanu  1   2 , Stacy Loeb  4 , Kristen Monten  5 , Colin Le  3 , Suzanne M Bertisch  1   2 , Jan Van Den Bulck  6 , Stuart F Quan  1   2
Affiliations

Examining understandability, information quality, and presence of misinformation in popular YouTube videos on sleep compared to expert-led videos

Rebecca Robbins et al. J Clin Sleep Med. .

Abstract

The Internet is a common source of sleep information but may be subject to commercial bias and misinformation. We compared the understandability, information quality, and presence of misinformation of popular YouTube videos on sleep to videos with credible experts. We identified the most popular YouTube videos on sleep/insomnia and 5 videos from experts. Videos were assessed for understanding and clarity using validated instruments. Misinformation and commercial bias were identified by consensus of sleep medicine experts. The most popular videos received, on average, 8.2 (± 2.2) million views; the expert-led videos received, on average, 0.3 (± 0.2) million views. Commercial bias was identified in 66.7% of popular videos and 0% of expert videos (P < .012). The popular videos featured more misinformation than expert videos (P < .001). The popular videos about sleep/insomnia on YouTube featured misinformation and commercial bias. Future research may explore methods for disseminating evidence-based sleep information.

Citation: Robbins R, Epstein LJ, Iyer JM, et al. Examining understandability, information quality, and presence of misinformation in popular YouTube videos on sleep compared to expert-led videos. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023;19(5):991-994.

Keywords: YouTube; insomnia; misinformation; sleep.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

All authors reviewed and approved this manuscript. Work for this study was performed at the Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA; Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. S.L. is supported by the NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center Developmental Project Program, which is partially supported by the Cancer Center Support grant P30CA016087. R.R. is supported by the NIH/NHLBI K01HL150339. S.F.Q. has served as a consultant for Best Doctors, Bryte Foundation, Jazz Pharmaceuticals, and Whispersom. M.D.W. has consulted with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and the University of Pittsburgh. R.R. has served as a consultant for Denihan Hospitality Group, Savoir Beds Ltd, Oura Ring Ltd, and With Deep, Inc. L.J.E. has served as a consultant to AIM Specialty Health, eviCore Healthcare, Somnoware Health Systems and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The other authors report no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Cohen R , Adams P . Use of the Internet for Health Information: United States, 2009. NCHS Data Brief; 2011. . Accessed June 20, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db66.htm - PubMed
    1. Ozsoy-Unubol T , Alanbay-Yagci E . YouTube as a source of information on fibromyalgia . Int J Rheum Dis. 2021. ; 24 ( 2 ): 197 – 202 . - PubMed
    1. Goobie GC , Guler SA , Johannson KA , Fisher JH , Ryerson CJ . YouTube videos as a source of misinformation on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis . Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2019. ; 16 ( 5 ): 572 – 579 . - PubMed
    1. Baran C , Yilmaz Baran S . YouTube videos as an information source about urinary incontinence . J Gynecol Obstet Hum Reprod. 2021. ; 50 ( 10 ): 102197 . - PubMed
    1. Pons-Fuster E , Ruiz Roca J , Tvarijonaviciute A , López-Jornet P . YouTube information about diabetes and oral healthcare . Odontology. 2020. ; 108 ( 1 ): 84 – 90 . - PubMed

Publication types