Readability of commercial versus generic health instructions for condoms

Despite the fact that condoms are increasingly recommended for the prevention of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and have long been used as a barrier method of contraception, little is known about the readability of the range of materials that have been written exclusively for consumers on how to use a condom. The authors described and compared the reading comprehension levels of condom patient package inserts (PPIs) prepared commercially and those generic instructions (GIs) prepared by health care providers. Fifteen sets of PPIs and 30 sets of GIs were analyzed using six standard readability formulas (Fry, Fog, Dale-Chall, Flesch, Flesch-Kincaid, SMOG). Readability levels of the instructions ranged from grade 6.3 to 13.7. The PPIs required a significantly higher grade level for comprehension (mean 10.32) than the GIs (mean 8.69). This study suggests that instructions prepared by both sources may require a reading level above that of many consumers who need information on how to use a condom.