Table 1.
Flesch-Kincaid grade level of AAOS patient education articles (n = 573) in 19 subject categories
| Subject categories | Number of articles | Flesch-Kincaid grade level | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean | 95% confidence interval | |||
| Arm | 13 | 9.8 | 9.0–10.7 | 0.346 |
| Arthritis | 22 | 10.8 | 10.2–11.3 | 0.146 |
| Children | 48 | 10.1 | 9.7–10.5 | 0.191 |
| Foot* | 41 | 9.9 | 9.4–10.3 | 0.028 |
| General information** | 61 | 10.9 | 10.5–11.2 | 0.006 |
| Hand* | 32 | 9.7 | 9.3–10.1 | 0.001 |
| Hip | 26 | 10.4 | 9.7–11.0 | 0.99 |
| Injury prevention | 64 | 10.0 | 9.3–10.7 | 0.23 |
| Joint replacement | 28 | 10.8 | 10.0–11.7 | 0.212 |
| Knee | 34 | 10.9 | 10.4–11.5 | 0.101 |
| Neck | 7 | 9.9 | 8.9–10.9 | 0.549 |
| Osteoporosis | 11 | 10.9 | 9.2–12.6 | 0.373 |
| Patient stories** | 33 | 11.9 | 11.4–12.4 | < 0.001 |
| Patient-centered care | 15 | 11.3 | 9.8–12.7 | 0.086 |
| Shoulder | 21 | 10.2 | 9.5–11.0 | 0.78 |
| Sports/exercise | 68 | 9.8 | 9.0–10.5 | 0.083 |
| Spine | 22 | 10.0 | 9.1–10.9 | 0.421 |
| Tumors | 12 | 9.6 | 8.7–10.4 | 0.172 |
| Women’s health | 15 | 10.9 | 9.8–12.0 | 0.307 |
p value refers to the t test comparing each subject category with the remaining articles; *mean FK grade level was significantly lower than the remaining articles; **mean FK grade significantly higher than the remaining articles.