Popular TikTok videos illustrate autoinjector fears
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Key takeaways:
- Two in three children and one in four adults are afraid of needles.
- 60% of the videos about needle phobia featured patients expressing their fears.
- 40% of the videos featured trigger warnings.
ANAHEIM, Calif. — The 15 most popular videos on TikTok about autoinjector fears have more than 5 million likes, according to a poster presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting.
These videos also represent an opportunity to improve patient education, Tori Martel, MPH, social media community manager with the Allergy & Asthma Network, told Healio.
“This all started with knowing that epinephrine is the No. 1 line of defense for anaphylaxis, and anaphylaxis is scary,” Martel said.
But two in three children and one in four adults have needle phobia, she continued.
“And that can delay administration of epinephrine, since that mainly uses autoinjectors,” Martel said. “So, we wanted to explore on TikTok, as we did last year, to see what kind of insights could be gained from that.”
Martel and colleagues searched for “epinephrine needle fear” and “epinephrine needle phobia” on the social media platform, which has more than 1 billion users each month overall.
Next, the researchers analyzed the top 15 videos based on their relevance and popularity, including more than 5 million likes in total, while a public health expert categorized them based on their context and portrayal of needle phobia.
“Sixty percent of the videos showed needle fear, needle phobia, in the video itself,” Martel said, “whether that was someone saying they were scared of needles because one time they poked their thumb instead of hitting their thigh, or just making fun of needles.”
Also, 40% of the videos had trigger warnings within the video’s caption or in the video itself warning viewers that the video included a large needle.
None of the creators of these videos appeared to be health care providers or have any kind of medical background, Martel said, opening the field for experts and organizations such as the Allergy & Asthma Network to provide reassurance and evidence-based advice.
“We wanted to look at that and really learn how we can prioritize our platform on TikTok to show that needles aren’t scary if you use them correctly, and here is the correct way to do that,” Martel said.
For example, she said, the Allergy & Asthma Network would like to post videos that demonstrate the proper use of autoinjectors.
“If you do it the correct way, there’s nothing to be worried about because the correct way will benefit you, and it will prevent you from having adverse outcomes,” Martel said.
Martel also noted that alternative methods for administering epinephrine are in development and that if and when the FDA approves them, she and her colleagues will conduct a follow-up review.
“Then we can compare the analysis to see if this needle phobia goes away without people carrying their autoinjectors or if it stays, or what we can do to really battle the misinformation and the scariness,” she said.
Overall, Martel and her colleagues concluded, these videos further confirm that people in the allergy community experience phobias that can delay administration of epinephrine and lead to increased likelihood for adverse outcomes, but more educational interventions on TikTok and other platforms can help these viewers overcome their phobias.