Researchers and practitioners frequently use readability formulas to predict the suitability of health-related texts for consumers (e.g., patient instructions, informed consent documents). However, the appropriateness of using readability formulas originally developed for students and educational texts for lay audiences and health-related texts remains to be validated. In this exploratory study, we compared two methods of assessing the readability of consumer health materials: the Cloze procedure, using actual readers, and readability formulas, using our Readability Analyzer program. A statistically significant inverse correlation (r = -0.581, p = 0.01) was found, suggesting that the Readability Analyzer may provide a reasonable "first approximation" for predicting readability of consumer health texts. We also identified several linguistic factors associated with increased reading ease as candidates for improving the performance of the Readability Analyzer. Our ultimate objective is to develop tools to support the design and evaluation of health information that is comprehensible and accessible to laypersons.
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Patient Educ Couns
January 2025
Department of Health Services Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, USA. Electronic address:
Objective: We aimed to evaluate the content and quality of websites for consumers providing information about human papillomavirus (HPV) risks in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Methods: We conducted an environmental scan of websites for patients and the general public with information about HPV and SLE. We searched Google from inception to June 2023, using the terms "HPV" and "lupus".
Behav Anal Pract
December 2024
School of Human Sciences and Humanities, Clinical Health Applied Sciences, University of Houston-Clear Lake, 2300 Bay Area Boulevard, Houston, TX 77058 USA.
There has been a substantial increase in the racial and ethnic diversity of the United States population in the past 10-12 years, with the second most prevalent racial or ethnic group being Hispanic or Latino (Jensen, 2021). As a result, it is crucial that behavior analysts are prepared to serve consumers from all backgrounds, including those who do not speak English fluently. One important component for service delivery for linguistically diverse consumers is the incorporation of an interpreter.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Environ Res Public Health
December 2024
Public Health Research Program, School of Public Health, Walailak University, Nakhon Si Thammarat 10860, Thailand.
Timor Leste is one of the top countries in Asia with a high incidence rate of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB). The success of TB treatment necessitated a more profound comprehension of adherence as a multifaceted behavioral issue, along with identifying the barriers that hinder and the factors that promote patient adherence. This study aimed to assess the rate of pulmonary TB medication adherence and identify its predictors among adults in Metinaro and Becora, Dili, Timor-Leste.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntibiotics (Basel)
December 2024
Institute of Soil Science and Plant Cultivation, State Research Institute, Czartoryskich 8 St., 24-100 Pulawy, Poland.
In the last few years, there has been growing interest in the harmful impact of synthetic additives, the increased consumer focus on nutrition, and their unwillingness to use antibiotics and preservatives. The food industry has been driven to seek natural alternatives to synthetic antioxidants and integrate them into the production processes. Moreover, the most significant risk factor for foodborne illness is the consumption of raw or undercooked meats and milk, which may be contaminated with spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Obstet Anesth
December 2024
Department of Anesthesiology, 8700 Beverly Blvd #4209, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90064, United States. Electronic address:
Introduction: Over 90% of pregnant women and 76% expectant fathers search for pregnancy health information. We examined readability, accuracy and quality of answers to common obstetric anesthesia questions from the popular generative artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots ChatGPT and Bard.
Methods: Twenty questions for generative AI chatbots were derived from frequently asked questions based on professional society, hospital and consumer websites.
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