Quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19: an infodemiological study

Abstract

Background This study sought to assess the quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19. Methods Three search engines were searched on 13 April 2020 for specific Arabic terms on COVID-19. The first 100 consecutive websites from each engine were analyzed for eligibility, which resulted in a sample of 36 websites. These websites were subjected to quality assessments using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks tool, the DISCERN tool, and Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode) certification. The readability of the websites was assessed using an online readability calculator. Results Among the 36 eligible websites, only one (2.7%) was HONcode certified. No website attained a high score based on the criteria of the DISCERN tool; the mean score of all websites was 31.5 ± 12.55. As regards the JAMA benchmarks results, a mean score of 2.08 ± 1.05 was achieved by the websites; however, only four (11.1%) met all the JAMA criteria. The average grade levels for readability were 7.2 ± 7.5, 3.3 ± 0.6 and 93.5 ± 19.4 for the Flesch Kincaid Grade Level, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, and Flesch Reading Ease scales, respectively. Conclusion Almost all of the most easily accessible web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19 does not meet recognized quality standards regardless of the level of readability and ability to be understood by the general population of Arabic speakers.

Contextual factors that shape uptake of COVID-19 preventive measures by persons of Ghanaian and Eritrean origin in the Netherlands: A focus group study

“…A slight majority (64%) of European countries were found to have written online COVID-19 material available in alternative languages; a mere 48% – including the Netherlands – had materials available in at least one of the three most common migrant languages of the country [26] . Furthermore, the readability of online COVID-19 content is often too difficult to understand [ 17 , 27 , 28 ]. Our study indicates meeting language and literacy needs is paramount to improve uptake of preventive measures.…”

Accuracy and Reliability of Internet Resources for Information on Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance—What Information Is out There for Our Patients?

“…Previously published analyses on the reliability and accuracy of online health information mainly focus on otorhinolaryngology-related topics [23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30]. Studies on other medical conditions, such as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, SARS-CoV-2, neurological disorders, etc., are available as well [15,[31][32][33][34][35][36]. However, except for oral precancerous conditions, other precancerous and cancer entities were not in the focus of such evaluations [37,38].…”

“…Overall, our results are in line with these previously published studies. Those conclude on frequently outdated, mixed-, or low-quality, and incomplete online health information that requires high readability skills [15,[23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38].…”

Readability of Korean-Language COVID-19 Information from the South Korean National COVID-19 Portal Intended for the General Public: Cross-sectional Infodemiology Study

“…However, recent studies [ 34 , 52 , 53 ] have shown that some public health agencies have also failed to provide information in an easy-to-read form. Valizadeh-Haghi et al [ 52 ] examined the readability of English-language COVID-19 information based on website categories (ie, news, governmental, commercial, organization, educational) and concluded that that the readability levels in all categories exceeded the recommended level and that commercial websites had better readability than governmental websites.…”

“…Mishra et al [ 34 ] reported that the readability of English-language COVID-19 information on 18 government and international public health agency websites did not meet the recommended readability level. Halboub et al [ 53 ] investigated 36 Arabic-language websites on COVID-19 and reported that 66.7% of the included websites were easy for the general public to read. Kruse et al [ 33 ] conducted a study of COVID-19 information provided by 8 US academic medical centers and reported that 0.7% of information was written at or below the sixth-grade level.…”