title: Evaluation of literacy level of patient education pages in health-related journals.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reading level of patient education material from selected current health care journals. Ten patient education pages from a variety of health care journals were entered into a Microsoft Word program. Applying the Flesch-Kincaid readability formula available from Microsoft Word, a reading level for each page was established and compared to recommended standards. Only 2 of 10 patient education pages fell within the recommended reading levels for health-related materials, and 5 of 10 were above the estimated mean U.S. reading level of 8th grade. A 5th to 6th grade level is recommended for patient education materials. This study suggests that although it is known that low health literacy is a widespread problem, it is not always considered when patient-targeted materials are developed. Health care professionals need to become more active in addressing the literacy needs of the intended receiver of written health-related information.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716-3750, USA. ncotugna@udel.edu
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cotugna
authors.forename: Connie E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Vickery
authors.forename: Kara M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Carpenter-Haefele
mesh_terms: D004522:Educational Status; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D011932:Reading