title: Readability of Information Related to the Parenting of a Child With a Cleft.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many parents look to various sources for information about parenting when their child has a cleft lip and/or palate. More than 8 million Americans perform health-related searches every day on the World Wide Web. Furthermore, a significant number of them report feeling "overwhelmed" by the language and content of the information.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study is to determine the readability of information related to parenting a child with cleft lip and/or palate. It was hypothesized that the readability of such materials would be at a level higher than 6th grade.
  
  
  METHODS
  In February of 2012, a Web-based search was conducted using the search engine Google for the terms "parenting cleft lip and palate."
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 15 websites, 7 books, and 8 booklets/factsheets (N=30) entered the readability analysis. Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, Fog Scale Level, and Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) index scores were calculated. The reading level of the websites and books ranged from 8th to 9th and 9th to10th grade, respectively. The average reading level of the booklets/factsheets was 10th grade. Overall, the mean readability of the media resources analyzed was considered "hard to read." No statistically significant mean difference was found for the readability level across websites, books, and booklets/factsheets (Kruskal-Wallis test, significance level .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When considering websites, books, booklets, and factsheets analyzed, the average readability level was between 8th and 10th grade. With the US national reading level average at 8th grade and the general recommendation that health-related information be written at a 6th grade level, many parents may find the text they are reading too difficult to comprehend. Therefore, many families might be missing out on the opportunity to learn parenting practices that foster optimal psychosocial development of their children.
authors.affiliation: School of Dentistry, Division of Orthodontics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, United States.
authors.forename: Nanci
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0944-5669
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: De Felippe
authors.forename: Farnaz
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0872-8752
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kar
keywords: cleft lip; cleft palate; literacy; parenting; readability