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Comparative Study
. 2020 Aug 3;3(8):e2018033.
doi: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2020.18033.

Comparison of Readability of Official Public Health Information About COVID-19 on Websites of International Agencies and the Governments of 15 Countries

Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of Readability of Official Public Health Information About COVID-19 on Websites of International Agencies and the Governments of 15 Countries

Vishala Mishra et al. JAMA Netw Open. .

Abstract

This cross-sectional study evaluates the readability of information on COVID-19 on websites of international agencies, governments of 15 countries, and US health departments.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures: Dr Dexter reported receiving grants from the American Council of Learned Societies and from the Neukom Institute for Computational Science during the conduct of the study. No other disclosures were reported.

Figures

Figure.
Figure.. Readability, Literacy, and Use of Difficult Terms Across All 50 US States
For each state, an official website with frequently asked questions or related information for the public was assessed for readability and use of the 121 difficult words and phrases discussed in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s health literacy guidelines. Because 3 pairs of states that used 16% to 30% of the difficult terms had identical Flesch-Kincaid grade levels and literacy, only 47 data points are shown. COVID-19 indicates coronavirus disease 2019.

References

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