Quality and Readability of Web-based Arabic Health Information on Denture Hygiene: An Infodemiology Study

Alhajj, Mohammed Nasser; Mashyakhy, Mohammed; Ariffin, Zaihan; Ab‐Ghani, Zuryati; Johari, Yanti; Salim, Nurul S

doi:10.5005/jp-journals-10024-2918

Cited by 18 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Based on the results of the study, the hypothesis is partially rejected because the quality of the website information on periodontal disease/health is mostly poor, but readable. This finding is in agreement with the results of a recent study on web-based Arabic health information about denture hygiene [27]. Surprisingly, of 89 websites, only two were HONcode certified.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on periodontal disease

Alakhali

Fageeh

Halboub

et al. 2021

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak

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Background Currently, the Internet seems to be a helpful tool for obtaining information about everything that we think about, including diseases, their prevention and treatment approaches. However, doubts exist regarding the quality and readability of such information. This study sought to assess the quality and readability of web-based Arabic information on periodontal disease. Methods In this infodemiological study, the Google, Yahoo!, and Bing search engines were searched using specific Arabic terms on periodontal disease. The first 100 consecutive websites from each engine were obtained. The eligible websites were categorized as commercial, health/professional, journalism, and other. The following tools were applied to assess the quality of the information on the included websites: the Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode), the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks, and the DISCERN tool. The readability was assessed using an online readability tool. Results Of the 300 websites, 89 were eligible for quality and readability analyses. Only two websites (2.3%) were HONcode certified. Based on the DISCERN tool, 43 (48.3%) websites had low scores. The mean score of the JAMA benchmarks was 1.6 ± 1.0, but only 3 (3.4%) websites achieved “yes” responses for all four JAMA criteria. Based on the DISCERN tool, health/professional websites revealed the highest quality of information compared to other website categories. Most of the health/professional websites revealed moderate-quality information, while 55% of the commercial websites, 66% of journalism websites, and 43% of other websites showed poor quality information. Regarding readability, most of the analyzed websites presented simple and readable written content. Conclusions Aside from readable content, Arabic health information on the analyzed websites on periodontal disease is below the required level of quality.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on periodontal disease

Alakhali

Fageeh

Halboub

et al. 2021

BMC Med Inform Decis Mak

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“…However, 13 (36.1%) websites had a moderate score (33-64). The remaining 23 (63.9%) had a low score (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32). The mean score for all websites was 31.5 ± 12.55.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As the present study is, to the best of our knowledge, the first to assess the quality and readability of webbased Arabic content on COVID-19, comparison with other findings in the available literature is limited. Moreover, the assessment of web-based Arabic medical information has been scarcely addressed and where such assessments do exist, they have focused on medical conditions other than COVID-19, such as oral cancer [16], breast cancer [15], epilepsy [14], autism [13], denture hygiene [22], and oral health [12]. Yet, strikingly, these studies unanimously agree on the poor quality of the web-based Arabic information about these diseases.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results revealed values that corresponded to the difficulty of the respective texts. The tool has also been validated by a previous study [22]. The website-based tool analyzes text using different common, well-known analysis tools (Gunning Fog Index (GFI), Coleman Liau Index (CLI), Flesch Kincaid grade level (FKGL), Automated Readability Index (ARI), Simple Measure of Gobbledygook (SMOG), and Flesch Reading Ease (FRE).…”

Section: Readability Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19: an infodemiological study

et al. 2021

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Background This study sought to assess the quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19. Methods Three search engines were searched on 13 April 2020 for specific Arabic terms on COVID-19. The first 100 consecutive websites from each engine were analyzed for eligibility, which resulted in a sample of 36 websites. These websites were subjected to quality assessments using the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmarks tool, the DISCERN tool, and Health on the Net Foundation Code of Conduct (HONcode) certification. The readability of the websites was assessed using an online readability calculator. Results Among the 36 eligible websites, only one (2.7%) was HONcode certified. No website attained a high score based on the criteria of the DISCERN tool; the mean score of all websites was 31.5 ± 12.55. As regards the JAMA benchmarks results, a mean score of 2.08 ± 1.05 was achieved by the websites; however, only four (11.1%) met all the JAMA criteria. The average grade levels for readability were 7.2 ± 7.5, 3.3 ± 0.6 and 93.5 ± 19.4 for the Flesch Kincaid Grade Level, Simple Measure of Gobbledygook, and Flesch Reading Ease scales, respectively. Conclusion Almost all of the most easily accessible web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19 does not meet recognized quality standards regardless of the level of readability and ability to be understood by the general population of Arabic speakers.

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“…Another study explained that the availability of OHI in the native language may enhance the utility of the internet for health information [ 26 ]. In addition, the quality of Arabic language health information websites was questioned by Alhajj et al [ 27 ], who concluded that the quality of web-based Arabic health information was poor regardless of being readable by internet users. The development of more credible Arabic websites offering more evidence-based and regularly updated information is recommended [ 28 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Attitudes of Egyptian Web-Based Health Information Seekers Toward Health Information Provided Through the Internet: Qualitative Study

Ghweeba¹,

Lindenmeyer²,

Shishi³

et al. 2022

JMIR Form Res

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Background The internet has become an established source of health information for many Egyptian internet users. Understanding users’ attitudes toward the benefits and limitations of web-based health information will explain the influence of this information on users’ health-related behavior and decisions. Objective This qualitative study aims to understand the attitude of Egyptian internet users toward internet health information and to explore the impact of obtained health information on users’ behavior and on their physician-patient relationship. Methods For this qualitative study, semistructured interviews were conducted with a total of 49 participants (41/49, 84% Egyptian internet users and 8/49, 16% physicians) who participated in focus groups or individual interviews. We used a thematic analysis approach to explain and demonstrate participants’ views, thoughts, and experiences in using web-based health information. Results The internet has become an important source of health information in comparison with other health information sources and is the central theme that has emerged across the thematic analysis. The attitude toward the use of internet health was classified into three main themes: feeling toward web-based health information (with subthemes: favoring, disliking, neutral, or having ambivalence feelings), motivators to seek internet health information, and behavioral changes using internet health information (subthemes: confidence, satisfaction, and improved knowledge). Themes that emerged from physicians’ interviews included the accessibility of the internet health information, good communication, and coordination of care between patients and their physicians, and the active engagement of patients with their management plan. Conclusions The internet has become an essential source of health information for Egyptian adults. Internet health information can improve the patient-physician relationship, especially when users discuss the obtained health information with their physician. Internet health information provided seekers with social support and self-confidence when making health decisions.

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Quality and Readability of Web-based Arabic Health Information on Denture Hygiene: An Infodemiology Study

Cited by 18 publications

References 35 publications

Quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on periodontal disease

Quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on periodontal disease

Quality and readability of web-based Arabic health information on COVID-19: an infodemiological study

The Attitudes of Egyptian Web-Based Health Information Seekers Toward Health Information Provided Through the Internet: Qualitative Study

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