Evaluating environmental health communication: The readability of factsheets about per- and polyfluoroalkyl
Carla R Magi-Prowse1, Kelly S Fielding2, Kevin V Thomas3
1School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Background:
It is important for environmental health professionals to inform the public about potential chemical risks. Factsheets are a common way to disseminate information to the public, however, there has been little evaluation of whether these materials are fit for purpose.
Objectives:
This study evaluated the readability of factsheets about per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), contaminants of emerging concern that have impacted communities worldwide.
Methods:
Using grey literature searches, we identified 36 PFAS fact sheets published by government agencies in countries where PFAS contamination events had occurred. Factsheets were evaluated using the Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG) readability formula, language complexity, and the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool for Printable Materials (PEMAT-P).
Results:
The factsheets had an average reading grade level of 15.1 with no factsheets meeting the recommended reading grade range of 5-8. On average, almost one quarter of the words used in the factsheets were complex or uncommon words. Only 8 of the factsheets scored above 70% on PEMAT-P, which is the threshold at which factsheets are categorised as understandable.
Conclusion:
This study demonstrates that PFAS factsheets are typically not written at an appropriate reading level. We identify several areas for improvement such as using health literacy tools to reduce the complexity of language, incorporating infographics and pop out boxes, and providing concise summaries of information. To increase environmental health literacy, environmental health communicators should draw on the learnings of health communication and utilise existing tools to improve readability.
