Table 1.
Proportion of webpages meeting the American Medical Association readability guideline
| Mean (SD) | Meets AMA guideline % (n) | |
|---|---|---|
| Total sample (N=464) | 7.34 (2.22) | 23.28 (108) |
| Target audience * | ||
| Teens only (n=42) | 6.58 (2.71) | 45.24 (19) |
| Parents only (n=45) | 7.08 (2.03) | 22.22 (10) |
| Users only (n=186) | 7.17 (2.31) | 26.34 (49) |
| Non-users only (n=71) | 7.30 (2.06) | 22.54 (16) |
| Messaging | ||
| Positive (n=15) | 6.91 (1.31) | 13.33 (2) |
| Negative or neutral (n=449) | 7.36 (2.24) | 23.61 (106) |
| Source | ||
| Educational or scientific institutions (n=96) | 7.35 (2.22) | 18.75 (18) |
| Digital media (n=171) | 7.12 (2.00) | 26.90 (46) |
| Governmental organizations (n=59) | 7.10 (2.24) | 30.51 (18) |
| Advocacy organizations or professional societies (n=47) | 7.20 (2.13) | 23.41 (11) |
| Academic journals (n=26) | 9.65 (3.79) | 11.54 (3) |
| Other (n=65) | 7.36 (1.40) | 18.46 (12) |
Means (SDs) are based on Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level23 scores of webpages. AMA: American Medical Association. AMA guideline is text written at or below a 6th grade reading level18.
*
Target audience frequencies do not sum to the total sample size because not all webpages had a specified target audience.