The readability of official public health information on COVID‐19

Mac, Olivia; Muscat, Danielle M; Ayre, Julie; Patel, Pinika; McCaffery, Kirsten

doi:10.5694/mja2.51282

Cited by 42 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Analysis progressed through the following four stages:1. Calculation of readability scores (Flesch Reading, Gunning Fog, Flesch-Kincaid, SMOG and readability consensus score) across all documents to gauge the document’s accessibility for audiences with different literacy levels (Ferguson et al, 2021; Mac et al, 2021). 2.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using a multidisciplinary, multi-method and collaborative research design to investigate the health communication power of the early childhood sector

Degotardi

Waniganayake

Bull

et al. 2022

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood

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This paper details the research design of a multidisciplinary, multi-method, collaborative research project investigating health communication from the experiences of the early childhood education (ECE) sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the rapidly evolving pandemic, the ECE sector was instantly tasked with expanding their required health practices to prevent the spread of infection. It was evident that the sector needed a system to communicate health advice in a timely, consistent and effective manner. Founded on a partnership model based on ‘knowledge brokering’ theory, this project demonstrates the value of a multidisciplinary research team collaborating with stakeholder organisations to investigate how COVID-19 health information traversed through complexities of organisational layers and diverse communities of families and staff. Detailing our data collection and analysis protocols, we conclude by outlining how our innovative research design is generating actionable and impactful recommendations for both the ECE and health sectors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using a multidisciplinary, multi-method and collaborative research design to investigate the health communication power of the early childhood sector

Degotardi

Waniganayake

Bull

et al. 2022

Australasian Journal of Early Childhood

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Even when information was available, many women found it confusing. This may in part be due to the evolving nature of COVID-19 situations however, two recent studies found that most COVID-19 information provided to the Australian public exceeded recommended reading levels required to ensure widespread understanding [40,41]. This is reflected in findings from the social media analysis which demonstrated a strong need for clearer information, especially with regards to vaccination.…”

Section: Plos Onementioning

confidence: 99%

“Tell us what’s going on”: Exploring the information needs of pregnant and post-partum women in Australia during the pandemic with ‘Tweets’, ‘Threads’, and women’s views

et al. 2023

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Introduction The provision of maternity services in Australia has been significantly disrupted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many changes were initiated quickly, often with rapid dissemination of information to women. The aim of this study was to better understand what information and messages were circulating regarding COVID-19 and pregnancy in Australia and potential information gaps. Methods This study adopted a qualitative approach using social media and interviews. A data analytics tool (TIGER-C19) was used to extract data from social media platforms Reddit and Twitter from June to July 2021 (in the middle of the third COVID-19 wave in Australia). A total of 21 individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with those who were, or had been, pregnant in Australia since March 2020. Social media data were analysis via inductive content analysis and interview data were thematically analysed. Results Social media provided a critical platform for sharing and seeking information, as well as highlighting attitudes of the community towards COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy. Women interviewed described wanting further information on the risks COVID-19 posed to themselves and their babies, and greater familiarity with the health service during pregnancy, in which they would labour and give birth. Health providers were a trusted source of information. Communication strategies that allowed participants to engage in real-time interactive discussions were preferred. A real or perceived lack of information led participants to turn to informal sources, increasing the potential for exposure to misinformation. Conclusion It is vital that health services communicate effectively with pregnant women, early and often throughout public health crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. This was particularly important during periods of increased restrictions on accessing hospital services. Information and communication strategies need to be clear, consistent, timely and accessible to reduce reliance on informal and potentially inaccurate sources.

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“…The extent that COVID-19 public health communication efforts fall short of community needs can be clearly observed even through relatively crude methods. For example, a recent study showed that the median grade reading score for Australian government COVID-19 information on vaccination, mask-wearing, and physical distancing ranged from Grade 12 to university level (Grade 14) for resources collected in April 2021 [9] This is 4–6 grades beyond the recommended Grade 8 reading level for effective communication to the average reader in the community [10] . Similarly, our survey of over 4000 Australians at the start of the pandemic (April 2020) found that even single-item questions that roughly estimate health literacy (skills for accessing, understanding and acting on health information) identified that low health literacy was associated with lower confidence understanding government COVID-19 information, and poorer knowledge of COVID-19 symptoms and prevention behaviours [11] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Main COVID-19 information sources in a culturally and linguistically diverse community in Sydney, Australia: A cross-sectional survey

Ayre

Muscat

Mac

et al. 2022

Patient Education and Counseling

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The readability of official public health information on COVID‐19

Cited by 42 publications

References 5 publications

Using a multidisciplinary, multi-method and collaborative research design to investigate the health communication power of the early childhood sector

Using a multidisciplinary, multi-method and collaborative research design to investigate the health communication power of the early childhood sector

“Tell us what’s going on”: Exploring the information needs of pregnant and post-partum women in Australia during the pandemic with ‘Tweets’, ‘Threads’, and women’s views

Main COVID-19 information sources in a culturally and linguistically diverse community in Sydney, Australia: A cross-sectional survey

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