Digital awareness in spinal cord injury: content and sentiment analysis of the 100 most viewed YouTube videos.

Abstract

Cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive study. To analyze globally accessible videos and user comments retrieved via the YouTube Data API using the keyword "spinal cord injury." Publicly available YouTube videos and comments. A total of 588 videos uploaded to YouTube over the past 15 years were screened. After exclusion of non-English content, disabled comments, duplicates, and irrelevant material, the 100 most-viewed videos were included. Video-level metadata and 15,619 user comments were extracted. Using deductive qualitative content analysis, two independent reviewers categorized videos into seven domains: general information, personal experience, daily living activities, treatment trials, exercise demonstrations, rehabilitation center presentations, and others. For text preprocessing and analysis, Python libraries (NLTK, TextBlob, WordCloud) were applied. Sentiment analysis was conducted using the Valence Aware Dictionary and Sentiment Reasoner (VADER). Descriptive statistics and sentiment trends were evaluated using IBM SPSS Statistics, Version 29.0. Most YouTube videos on spinal cord injury focused on general information and personal experiences. A significant rise in video numbers and engagement occurred between 2010 and 2020, followed by a decline after 2021. Positive sentiments predominated but declined over time, while neutral comments increased. Negative sentiments remained consistently low throughout all periods. User engagement with YouTube content on spinal cord injury is influenced by social and global factors, with content largely centered on narratives and general information. Future research should broaden to multiple platforms and incorporate demographic and geographic factors to guide effective digital health communication strategies.