Reading Difficulty Level of Medical Resources on Television Web Sites

Friedman, Daniela B.; Tanner, Andrea

doi:10.1300/j381v11n04_04

Cited by 23 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Health information online is highly variable in its readability and accuracy (Friedman & Hoffman-Goetz, 2006). Interestingly, accurate health information online often has higher grade-level readability while in actuality, lower grade-level readability of information would assist individuals in understanding relevant health information and adhering to their aftercare (Freidman & Tanner, 2007; French & Larrabee, 1999). For instance, pediatric patient education online materials are often written at 12th-grade reading level (D’Alessandro, Kingsley, & Johnson-West, 2001).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Easier the Better? Comparing the Readability and Engagement of Online Pro- and Anti-Vaccination Articles

Ellis

Umphrey

2019

Health Educ Behav

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Online anti-vaccine articles contribute to the anti-vaccine movement, which leads to recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases. Previous studies indicate that anti-vaccine articles are easy to read and understand, which may increase their abilities to engage viewers. The present study aims to examine if readability levels are related to engagement. Using combination of terms to search for vaccine articles in Google in May 2017, this study examined 541 pro-vaccine online articles with a total of 508,571 words and 382 anti-vaccine articles with a total of 843,805 words. Almost all vaccine articles exceeded the American average reading comprehension level. No significant difference in readability was found between pro- and anti-vaccine articles. Pro-vaccine articles that could only be understood by college graduates were less engaging than those with lower readability levels. No significant relationship between anti-vaccine articles’ readability and engagement was discovered. Different vaccine topics had different readability and engagement levels, which implied that certain combinations of themes and readability levels could enhance the health messages’ persuasion effect. Recommendations for designing effective health messages are provided.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Easier the Better? Comparing the Readability and Engagement of Online Pro- and Anti-Vaccination Articles

Ellis

Umphrey

2019

Health Educ Behav

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The SMOG (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook) readability instrument used previously in content analysis research 64–66 was used to calculate reading levels for each of the resources located. Application of the SMOG measure required 10 – 30 lines of continuous text and produces a grade level.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Comprehensive Analysis of How Environmental Risks of Breast Cancer Are Portrayed on the Internet

Kulkarni

Lewis

Adams

et al. 2018

American Journal of Health Education

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Effective online communication about the environmental risk factors of breast cancer is essential because of the multitude of environmental exposures and debate regarding the conclusiveness of scientific evidence. Purpose The aim of this study was to assess the content, readability, and cultural sensitivity of online resources focused on the environmental risks factors of breast cancer. Methods A purposive sample of webpages focused on environmental risk factors of breast cancer was obtained through a Google search using 17 search terms. Using nonparametric statistics, we assessed the content, readability, and cultural appropriateness of 235 webpages. Results Eighty-two percent of webpages referred to research studies in their content. For the majority of sites, readability was at a high-school reading grade level. Webpages were not explicitly intended for specific racial/ethnic groups. Discussion Technical language and non-culturally specific messages may hinder users’ attention to and comprehension of online breast cancer information. Additional research is needed to examine in-depth the accuracy of this online content. Translation to Health Education Practice Findings suggest that collaborations between scientists, health educators, website designers/media professionals, and the community will be critical to the delivery of accurate, up-to-date, plain-language, and culturally sensitive information about breast cancer and the environment.

show abstract