If you are seeking information about vaccines YouTube may provide you with some, but much of it will be one-sided, anti-vaccination footage containing provocative and powerful messages.
Researchers from the University of Toronto and York University, both in Canada, looked at 153 YouTube videos about vaccination and immunization. They used the keywords vaccination and immunization. According to them, over half of the videos published childhood, flu and HPV vaccines in a negative or ambiguous light. Forty-five of them contradict recommendations contained in the Canadian Immunization Guide (2006).
Lead author Jennifer Keelan, University of Toronto, Department of Public Health Sciences, said “YouTube is increasingly a resource people consult for health information, including vaccination. Our study shows that a significant amount of immunization content on YouTube contradicts the nation’s reference standard. From a public health perspective, this is very concerning.”
Videos that portray vaccinations in a negative light are getting significantly more viewing traffic than those that portray them in a positive light, say the researchers. They added that several of them contained very provocative and powerful messages.
Co-author, Sayid Wilson, University of Toronto’s Department of Medicine, said “Health care professionals need to be aware that individuals critical of immunization are using YouTube to communicate their viewpoints and that patients may be obtaining information from these videos. YouTube users also need to be aware of this, so they can filter information from the site accordingly. The findings also indicate that public health officials should consider how to effectively communicate their viewpoints through Internet video portals,” Wilson said.
“YouTube breeding ground for anti-vaccination views, say researchers”
University of Toronto Website
“YouTube as a Source of Information on Immunization: A Content Analysis”
Jennifer Keelan, PhD, Vera Pavri-Garcia, PhD, George Tomlinson, PhD, Kumanan Wilson, MSc, MD
JAMA Vol. 298 No. 21, December 5, 2007
Written by – Christian Nordqvist