TikTok as a platform for visual health communication: designing and evaluating short-form videos

Communicating their findings to the public is increasingly regarded as both a responsibility of scientists and a means of combating misinformation. In this study, we produced 21 TikTok videos presenting the research results of Calmecac, a health research group at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) specialising in physiological networks. The design of the videos incorporated the three fundamental elements of communication: credibility, legitimacy and audience engagement. Subsequently, at the Centre for Complexity Sciences (UNAM), we conducted an exploratory study to evaluate the effectiveness of one of the videos in communicating scientific information and to assess audience perceptions of it. This study advances the field of health communication by operationalising the three imperatives of communication simultaneously within the context of science communication on TikTok. It also provides quantitative evidence that TikTok-based content can enhance understanding and awareness of scientific information and that such information can be conveyed in a credible, clear and engaging way.