Evaluation of the readability of ACOG patient education pamphlets

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether ACOG's patient education pamphlets comply with the recommended readability level for health education materials intended for the general public. METHODS: All 100 English-language pamphlets available during 1997 (created or revised between 1988 and 1997) were evaluated using four standard readability formulas. RESULTS: Mean readability levels of ACOG's pamphlets were between grade 7.0 to grade 9.3, depending on the formula used. Analysis of readability over the 10 years showed a trend toward lower readability levels. Analysis by category of pamphlet found that the lowest readability levels were in "Especially for teens" pamphlets. CONCLUSION: Our data suggested that most of ACOG's patient education pamphlets currently available are written at a higher readability level than recommended for the general public. The readability of those pamphlets improved in the 10 years since the organization published its first pamphlet, but the goal of sixth-grade readability level has not been reached.